


The Cherokee Rose

by nickhawkinbatcountry



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Inspired by The Walking Dead, Merle Dixon Being an Asshole, Multi, abraham fort, basically every character from the walking dead, carl gimes, carol peletier - Freeform, daryl dixon - Freeform, daryl dixon twin sister - Freeform, glenn and maggie rhee, rick grimes - Freeform, the greene family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 52
Words: 110,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22752163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickhawkinbatcountry/pseuds/nickhawkinbatcountry
Summary: Daryl, Evan and Merle Dixon have had to fight for their lives long before the world came to an end. However, along the journey, they have to face challenges they've never even thought they would have to deal with.-Mentions of childhood trauma, PTSD and other mental illnesses that might be triggering to some readers.
Comments: 24
Kudos: 31





	1. Introductions

Season: one 

"Ya damn well know I was the one ta track the deer!"

"Can you please be quiet so the deer doesn't run off? We've already been tracking it for miles... Plus my bolt hit it first."

"That's bullshit, Eve!"

Evan rolled her eyes as her brother grunted in response, she and Daryl had been tracking the deer way before the sun came up and honestly, exhaustion was getting the best of them. They just wanted to bring back something for Merle and the others.

Daryl was the first one to step from behind the bushes and he squinted in confusion when he saw almost every single man held him at gunpoint. Evan jumped from behind her brother and had the exact same look of confusion. That moment was broken when a familiar snarl broke the silence and Evan groaned, "You unintelligent swine don't know anything, do you? It has to be the brain."

With a sigh she let her younger brother throw a tantrum as he kicked the corpse of the deer, she took it upon herself to put a bolt through the walker's head.

Once Daryl was done Evan shrugged as the two started walking, "Hold on tight brother, at least we've got some squirrels. We didn't come back empty-handed."

Daryl put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as he and Evan started calling out for their brother. Evan stopped herself when she saw the looks everyone was giving her and she quickly tried to shush her brother by holding up a hand, "Daryl, wait a second."

Evan made her way to where Shane was watching the siblings from a distance and she squinted as she looked up at the slightly taller man, "Where's Merle?"

After Shane shot a look at Daryl who looked at him with a mixture between confusion and anger, he shrugged as he looked back at Evan, "In Atlanta."

Daryl was quick to step up as he asked, fighting to keep his calm, "Is he dead?"

Shane's answer wasn't the one the Dixon's were looking for, "Not sure."

Daryl grunted before he got in Shane's face, Evan stood right between them to prevent anything, "He either is or he ain't!"

"There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it."

Their attention turned to the stranger that carefully stepped up. Evan raised an eyebrow as the slight wind caused her long, dirty blonde hair to fall over her shoulder, "Who are you?"

Her brother was immediately by her side as he stepped slightly in front of her protectively while the newcomer introduced himself, "Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes?" Repeated Daryl as if he was mocking the man that stood in front of him, "Got something ya wanna tell us?"

Rick cleared his throat before he looked at Evan, then at Daryl, "Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him to a roof, cuffed him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

That was enough to have Evan go from zero to hundred into time and that was unusual for her. She grunted as she stepped back a few steps, wiping at her eyes furiously. She glanced at her brother who himself had the same expression as her. Her cold gaze turned to look at Rick as she used her hands while she spoke, "Let me process this... So you handcuffed my brother to a roof? And you left him there?!"

After Rick guy confirmed way too calmly for her liking, Evan lost it. She threw the squirrels she was holding directly at Rick before she lunged at him, only to have T-Dog hold her back. She grunted loudly as she fought against the man that had her arms hooked around his own.

Daryl quickly got angered and reached for his knife, "You motherfucker best let my sister go!"

Before he could do anything though, Shane grabbed him in a chokehold while Rick twisted his wrist, causing the knife to fall to the ground. Daryl fought against Shane while Evan whistled, "Jerk, chokehold's illegal! Leave my brother alone!"

Shane grunted as Daryl continued to fight before he glanced at the thrashing Evan, "File a complaint!"

T-Dog dragged Evan so she was right next to Daryl who was slightly hyperventilating, she, herself, wasn't any better. Rick crouched down before the pair before he spoke up, "I wanna have a calm discussion with y'all, think we can manage that?"

The two continued to thrash against the hold of the two men, but it seemed useless. Evan grunted in surrender as she glanced at her brother, "Daryl, stop it."

Shane practically threw Daryl on the ground while T-Dog just let go of Evan who immediately crawled to her brother protectively, she got on her knees behind Daryl with her arms loosely across his chest who put his hand on his sister's forearm. Her brother took deep breaths as he and Evan had the same death glare on their face, however even if he didn't want to admit it Daryl felt as tears threatened to slip from his waterline. His older sister, by just a few mere minutes, was the same. Their father would've been so mad, showing their weakness to a stranger.

Rick's glare was just as firm as the one of the two while he started speaking, acting as if he was about to explain rocket science to a toddler, "Your brother did this to himself, he doesn't play with others, he gave us no choice."

"It wasn't Rick's fault, it was me. It is my fault."

Evan's head snapped as she looked at T-Dog before she stood up to her full height, her brother stayed on the ground as he tried to gain full control of his breathing, "The key, I had it... But I dropped it."

Evan threw her hands in the air in disbelief while Daryl raised his eyebrows, "Couldn't pick it up?"

T-Dog frowned as he spoke harshly, "I dropped it down the drain."

Evan got even angrier when she felt her lip start to tremble. Daryl quickly got on his feet and put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off as she screamed at T-Dog, "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it doesn't!"

"But this might." She wiped at her eyes furiously as she listened to T-Dog, "I chained the door shut so the geeks can't get to him. With a padlock. Gotta cut the chain for anything to get to him, alive or dead."

Daryl and Evan shared a glance before their attention turned to Rick who spoke up, "It's gotta count for something..."

For a moment, the only thing that could be heard was the siblings' heavy breathing. After a moment Daryl teared up just like his sister and he screamed as he mentioned to the people with his hand, "To hell with y'all!" He grunted as he looked at Rick, "Just tell me where he is so I can go get him!"

"He will show you."

Evan and Daryl glanced at Lori, Rick's wife before they turned to face Rick again. After a moment of silence, Rick nodded, "Yeah. I will take you there."


	2. Bolts, Guns, And Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl goes back to Atlanta with Rick, Evan is left to take care of some assholes and some laundry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I already updated today, BUT I want to update the first few chapters now so I could sync my writing schedule here with the one I have on Wattpad.

Season: one 

"Ya really ain't gonna leave me here alone!"

Daryl groaned as he wiped his bolts while Evan crouched down next to him, "Can't have ya in danger -"

"But you have no problem risking your life!"

People turned around and watched as the two siblings argued. Usually, it was just smart remarks or normal bickering, it seemed that they were actually going at it then. Once he shot a death glare at the people who had their noses in his family's business, everyone looked away. Daryl groaned as he looked at his twin, pinching the bridge of his nose before he raised his voice, "I gotta find our brother! He's somewhere out there, for fuck's sake!" He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. He sighed as he looked at Evan, his eyes much softer than before, his voice too, "I already lost ma, dad, Merle... Don't wanna lose ya too, Eve. Can't let that happen. I can't."

Rick came into the picture with Shane trailing close behind him, "You really wanna risk your life for redneck trash like Merle?"

"Hey!" Snapped Daryl and Evan at the same time before Daryl continued, "Watch ya mouth, it's ma brother yer talkin' about!"

Shane glared at the Dixon's as he nodded, "Trust me. Redneck trash is me putting it nicely."

Rick sighed as he spoke up, "I've gotta do this. We left him cuffed to a roof... That's no way to treat even an animal!"

T-Dog and Glenn stepped up and Daryl chuckled humorlessly as he got up, "My day's just gettin' better and better."

"Hey." Evan got up and raised her hand, her pinky sticking out, "Be safe. Bring Merle back."

Daryl nodded as he wrapped his pinkie around his sister's, then he walked in the direction of the truck. Evan couldn't help but glare as she watched Lori furiously scold Rick, telling him it was a suicide mission. She didn't seem that worried when she was screwing around with her husband's best friend a couple of days ago.

-

Later on that day Evan was down by the creek, washing her and her brothers' dirty clothes. Her pants were rolled to her knees and she wore a sleeveless shirt, one of Daryl's old flannels. He didn't mind, it was often that she burrowed his clothes. She, herself, let him wear her angel vest from time to time. 

She took a small break and looked around her. She watched from a distance as Carl and Sophia played in the mud along with Morales's kids, Carol, Jacqui, and the others were doing laundry, and Evan couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Lori and Shane arguing.

However, she snapped her head back to where the women were. Ed, Carol's husband had his hand wrapped firmly on the tiny woman's forearm as he called her every name in the book, her friends tried to pull her away from him. Evan quickly dropped the shirt she was washing in the bucket before she ran off and once she reached them, without a second of hesitation, she slammed her fist against the side of Ed's face.

Ed released Carol as he stumbled back and the women quickly took Carol in their arms, trying to calm down the crying woman. Evan stood her ground as she grits her teeth and snarled at the man, "Don't you dare touch her!"

Ed, however, didn't waste any words, he simply slammed his fist against Evan's eye. She stumbled back a bit and just as she was about to sling a fist, Shane was already dragging Ed away by the back of his shirt. Evan quickly joined Shane and the two started to beat the life out of Ed, letting him taste his own medicine. 

Once they decided they were done, Evan grabbed Ed by the collar of his shirt as she spoke in a low voice, "If you ever laid a hand on anyone again, I will destroy you."

With that, she released him harshly and backed off. Shane tried to check out the black eye that was forming on Evan's face but she shrugged his hands off, turned around and left back to where the bucket full of dirty clothes was waiting for her. The clothes weren't going to wash themselves.

However, she took breaks from time to time as she groaned in slight pain and frustration. She had numerous other black eyes so she didn't understand why she let the pain get to her. If her daddy was around, he would darken her other eye too, to teach her better.

Daryl always took it worse than the other two, Merle was never at home and Daryl always put himself under the knife just so his sister wouldn't have to. Evan still remembered that night when she and Daryl were barely ten years old and Merle was almost twenty. Daryl was out playing with the neighbor's kids while Evan got the beating for not doing laundry. She woke up in the hospital with broken ribs and a crying Daryl, sitting next to the bed. He held her hand and there and then promised her to always protect her. That was when the entire "pinkie promise" deal started and they were almost thirty years old, however, they still used it, it meant that the deal was done.

Amy and Andrea came back with enough fish for everyone. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Evan was happy to finally eat something different than squirrels. 

The others sat around the campfire that evening and shared stories of the world before. Evan just sat there and listened as she nibbled on her fish in silence, she didn't have any interesting stories from the old world.

She quickly snapped back to reality when she heard a scream. Everybody else turned around to see Amy against the RV, a walker chewing on her collarbone.

It all happened so fast, people started to run around in complete panic. Evan cursed under her breath when she realized her crossbow was in her tent, the tent that was overrun with walkers, if she tried to get it, that would be suicide. The only things she had were her butterfly knives.

Gathering all of the courage she had in herself, she started attacking the walkers, shoving her knives deep in their skull.

At one point Evan got cornered against the RV in such a position that if anyone tried to shoot the walkers close to her, they would hit her as well. She cursed under her breath when she started to panic and hyperventilate. It was no time for getting scared, Dixon's never got scared.

"Evan!"

Before she could react, a familiar bolt appeared a few short inches away from her nose. Evan allowed herself to cry in relief when she saw her brother. She let her knees buckle beneath her as she slid down the side of the RV, her brother stood protectively over her as he continued to shoot at any walker he saw, this time with a shotgun.

The last shot rang through the air and the last body fell to the ground. Quickly throwing the shotgun to the side, Daryl fell on his knees in front of his sister and checked her for any bites or scratches as he breathed heavily. He let a sigh of relief when he found none and he wrapped his arms around his sister, taking a hold of the back of her head.

Evan and Daryl pulled back and Daryl's face fell when he noticed the black eye on his sister's face. She winced as he carefully placed his fingers on top of it.

Before any of them could say anything, Carol broke down crying. Evan sighed before she looked into her brother's Georgia blues, "He got what he deserved."


	3. Decisions Have To Be Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter. The group decides where they should go, everyone finds out Jim's been bit, and Evan and Daryl talk about their feelings.

Season: one 

The next day everyone was either digging graves or making sure the dead stayed dead. Daryl made sure his sister was where he could see her and vise versa, Evan didn't want to leave her brother's side. They had just potentially lost their brother after the only thing Daryl found of him was his hand. Sure, maybe he someway, somehow survived, but they didn't want to get their hopes way too high.

The sound of Jacqui screaming, "Jim was bit!" was the thing that got the attention of every single person. The man tried to fight everyone that got too close for his liking, eventually, he ended up grabbing a shovel, swinging at Shane furiously. Evan and Daryl shared a look and nodded. Daryl sneaked behind Jim and he threw himself at him, hooking his arms around Jim's. Evan pulled Jim's shirt up, enough to reveal a bite mark, a fresh one. Daryl released Jim who spoke in a broken whisper, "I'm okay, I'm okay... I'm okay."

It took a few minutes for Rick to gather the adults and have them discuss what they should do.

Daryl grunted from his place next to Evan as he spoke up, getting everyone's attention, "I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it."

Evan sighed as he looked at her brother, "Sorry brother, but I disagree. We shouldn't do that. He's still alive."

Daryl looked as if he actually got insulted at the fact that his sister didn't agree with him for once, "You've gotta be joking? We should just put him outta his misery and that's it!"

"Oh, yea?" Shane cocked his head to the side as he raised an eyebrow in a mockingly questionable manner, "You would want the same for yourself? Huh, maybe even have your sister do it? Just for good measure?"

Daryl nodded as he raised his hands in the air for a second, "Hell yea! I would even be thankful!"

The argument was cut short after the sound of a gun rang through the air. Andrea leaned back, fully sitting on the ground. Amy's corpse laid in front of her, a fresh would right on her head.

They decided to quit arguing and get to work. Daryl and Evan started digging graves while the others either helped the two or started to burn the ones that weren't their own. Not a single word was shared between the twins which was weird, for sure. If anything, they always communicated one way or another, but Daryl was distant. Deep in thought.

Evan sighed as she leaned on her shovel, her brother continued to dig. She rolled her eyes as she grabbed a rock, took aim and hit her brother's forehead. He hissed as a colorful combination of curse words left his mouth. He dropped the shovel and Evan almost felt guilty for laughing while she was digging graves. She, however, was glad to hear Glenn snicker beside her, T-Dog just smirked as he watched the scene unfold.

Daryl looked at his sister as he raised his eyebrows, urging her to speak up so he could continue. The only thing she did was stuck her tongue out which caused Daryl to roll his eyes and start digging again.

After a moment of silence, Glenn spoke up, "Y'know...You kinda look alike."

Evan and Daryl glanced at each other, both of them shared the same expression, pure disbelief. Evan chuckled as she glanced at Daryl, then at Glenn and she started digging again, "No shit, Sherlock. We're twins... He was left in the womb for a few minutes too long, though."

The last part was said just above a whisper and it caused a loud laugh to escape Glenn's mouth, T-Dog was the same. Neither one of them ever thought they would be laughing while digging holes to bury the dead in. They all, except Daryl, laughed so hard, Glenn had to lean against the shovel as he tried to stop laughing once he got weird looks from the others. Evan wasn't any better as she looked at her brother who had a somewhat hurt expression on his face, he was trying to fight the smirk off his face, though.

He rolled his eyes as he grabbed his shovel and started digging again, "Jerks..."

Eventually the dead were buried and burned. Everyone had a meeting around the fire, Evan and Daryl joined at the hip like usual.

Rick looked at the people in front of him before he spoke up, "We should head to the CDC. Have no other place to go. We have questions, if we want answers, we should head there. We have to." 

"Maybe we don't?"

Everyone turned to look at Shane. Evan couldn't help but roll her eyes as she glanced at her brother who had the same annoyed expression on his face as her.

The ex-policeman started talking, "We can go to Fort Benning. Think it's the better option."

Rick clenched his jaw before he spoke in a strict manner, "We have a man that needs immediate medical health. If anyone knows anything about this entire sickness, they have to be in CDC."

Shane was able to swallow his pride and finally agreed. So the CDC was it.

Later that night Evan sat on the top of Dale's RV as she looked out into the stars, her crossbow was on her lap. She wiped one of her bolts with a rag until she stopped as she looked towards the ladder. She continued her activity when she realized it was Daryl. He sat down next to his sister, his elbows leaned against his knees. The two sat in a comfortable silence until Daryl spoke up, "Do you think we should stay? Merle's not here... We don't have ta go with the plan."

Evan couldn't help but sigh. After a moment of silence, she looked at her brother who was already looking at her. She nodded her head before she spoke up, "We need people. You can't do much without them these days. Plus they're nice, y'know. Giving us a chance without Merle around... I wasn't too fond of robbing them, to begin with."

Daryl nodded, then averted his gaze back towards the stars. This time Evan looked at him for a few moments longer before Daryl spoke up again, "Ya know I love ya, right?"

Evan glanced at the bolt in her hands before she chuckled as she looked back at her brother, "Ya gettin' soft, Dixon?"

Evan's smile fell slowly when her brother didn't move or say anything, he simply remained motionless. She sighed as she put the crossbow by her side, along with the bolt, then she scooted closer to her brother. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her as she leaned her head against his neck. Once the two were comfortable, Evan spoke up, "I know. And I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only story/book/whatever on Wattpad that's barely getting any attention, I hope it does better on here because I've been working hard on this one, it's nothing like my other works. I'm thinking about posting my other works on here as well, but I'm scared that this one ain't gonna get any attention that way. 
> 
> Plus, excuse my French, I used to be careful with my choice of words, but then Micheal Rooker/Merle Dixon came into my life and fucked it up, lmao.


	4. CDC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group heads to the CDC. Evan rides Merle's chopper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last one for today, folks. Sorry for the spam.

Season: one

Evan slung her crossbow over her shoulder as she sighed. She looked at her brother's chopper. It was a beautiful machine, one that Merle loved and cherished. Only thing Evan and Daryl had of their brother.

Daryl made his way to his sister and looked at the motorcycle. He sighed as he looked at Evan, she returned the look, "You sure you wanna ride it? I can, you can ride in the truck. We can also put the bike in the back and ride together."

After she shook her head, Evan tried to give her brother a small smile, "I wanna ride. Wanna make sure the bike doesn't break. If it does, then Merle would find us and kill us with no hesitation."

A chuckle left both of them. Daryl took a few steps forward and wrapped his sister up in his arms, she, of course, returned the embrace as she focused on the sound of his soft and quiet voice, "Be safe, I'll be close if you need anything, shout. Okay?"

Rick signalized for everyone to get inside the cars. Daryl gave his sister one last nod before he climbed inside the old pick-up truck. Evan tied her hair back securely while she watched as the cars started to drive out of the campgrounds. She was the last one to follow. Once the motorcycle roared to life, she took off after the others.

At one point she couldn't help but drive past everyone, reaching a speed she was almost scared of. Almost. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the wind gently caressed her face, she then realized just how much she had missed riding. She and Daryl used to go on rides all the time back in the day.

However, she heard the horn of a car somewhere in the distance, which meant she had to head back. She quickly made a U-turn and sped down the road.

Evan reached the group in no time and even if she tried to deny it, a part of her broke when she saw everyone circling Jim who was leaning against a tree. She decided not to intrude, she wasn't even that close to Jim anyway. Plus way too many people were already there, she decided to give everybody some space.

Daryl quickly made his way over to his sister which caused her to chuckle despite the situation, "It's been less than thirty minutes, take a chill pill."

Her brother grunted as he squinted disapprovingly, "And can ya please slow down? Last thing I need now is have yer stupidity getcha killed."

Rick called out, telling everyone to get back in the cars. Evan sighed as she simply started the chopper again and sped off before her brother was even halfway to the truck.

They finally reached the CDC, parking their vehicles a safe distance away from the facility. Evan's lip turned upright in a scowl as the smell of rotting flesh hit her nose drills and filled her lungs.

The others quickly piled out of the cars, Evan was quite a few steps ahead of them with a bolt already knocked into place.

They stopped in front of a door and her brother quickly latched himself to her side. The two looked around as the others banged on the door, pleading for anyone that was inside to open.

The banging, however, was like ringing the doorbell for the few stray walkers. The two kids quickly started panicking and Evan and Daryl shared a nod before the two knocked a bolt into place and started taking down the biters, one by one.

By the time they were done Shane and the others were screaming at each other, panicking beyond belief. Daryl groaned as he pulled a bolt out of a walker's head before he shouted Rick, "You brought us to a graveyard!"

Evan put a hand on her brother's chest and snarled as she gave him a warning shove, "Back off, not now."

Just as the women were starting to drag their children back to the cars, the doors opened and a blinding, white light caused everyone to cover their eyes. Without hesitation everyone quickly ran inside but stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a man, holding a shotgun of some sort, "Anyone infected?"

Rick stepped forward as he spoke, his voice clear and certain, "One. He didn't make it."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last forever until the man sighed before speaking up, "You will have to undergo a blood test to be allowed entry. Go get whatever you may need. Once the doors are closed, they stay that way."

Carl and Sophia were left in the building while the adults grabbed everything they might need from their cars. The second the last person, who happened to be T-Dog was inside, the doors shut with great force. Rick gave a nod as he walked up to the stranger, "Rick Grimes."

The man hesitated and almost looked guilty as he finally met Rick's gaze, "Doctor Edwin Jenner. Welcome to CDC."

The same day everyone was all in a room of some sort as they got blood drawn. Evan was right after her brother. She sat down in the chair and extended the needed arm. Doctor Jenner looked at the young woman, then at Daryl, then back at Evan a few times before he finally drew blood, "You twins? You look almost identical."

Evan didn't have the energy in her to even nod her head so instead, she hummed a positive reply. She got up from the chair and cursed under her breath when black dots appeared in her vision, however she let out a sigh of relief when she felt two familiar arms wrap around her frame.

Doctor Jenner looked at the twins worriedly, but before either Evan or Daryl could speak, Jacqui did, "Has problems with the blood pressure, plus she hasn't eaten in days. We all haven't."

The doctor sighed as he mentioned for the next person to take a sit on the chair. After a moment of silence, he looked at Evan, then at Jacqui, "I have enough food for everyone. We will have dinner once I'm finished with everyone. Shouldn't take too long."


	5. The End Of The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CDC doesn't work out the way the group hoped it would...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My entire body hurts from ice skating yesterday, but I've gotta say, I had a great time. Anyway, this is the first update of the day, a second one is coming up! What are your thoughts on the book so far? Let me know!

Season: one

"Booyah!"

Evan smiled as she glanced at her brother who grabbed a new bottle of wine and raised it high in the air. Her and the kids were probably the only ones that were drinking something non-alcoholic. Everyone raised their beverages and repeated the word, laughter laced their voices. They were happy to finally let their guard down for the first time in a while.

Shane, who was the only one that seemingly didn't enjoy himself cleared his throat before he spoke up, "So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc? All the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened - where are they?"

"We're celebrating, Shane." Rick sighed as he looked at his partner, "Don't need to do this now."

"Woah, wait a second." Shane raised his hands in mock surrender, raising an eyebrow back at the blue-eyed man, "This is why we're here, right? This was your move. Supposed to find all the answers. Instead, we found him. Found one man. Why?"

"Well," Started Edwin, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief before he continued, "When things got bad, a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?"

"No..." Doctor Jenner sighed and glanced down at the table before he continued, "Many couldn't face walking out the door. They opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

Everyone tried to look anywhere but at Jenner. A lot of them were glaring at Shane. Andrea finally looked at the doctor as she questioned, "You didn't leave, why?"

Edwin shrugged as he chuckled dryly, "I just kept working. Hoping to do some good."

Glenn sighed as he shot Shane a glare, "You're such a buzzkill, man."

-

"I can't remember when was the last time-"

Evan looked around, however, she couldn't see her brother anywhere. She strained her hearing and her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach when she heard the sounds of puking. She quickly walked to the room where the toilet was and made her way to where Daryl was hunched over. She got down on her knees and rubbed his back gently, "Get it all out, brother. Come on."

Once Daryl was finished, he groaned as he rested his head against Evan's shoulder, "Next time don't let me drink as much."

Evan chuckled as she ran her fingers through Daryl's hair, "I tried to tell you when you were halfway done with the second bottle."

She helped her drunk brother up and brought him over to the couch. Once he was tucked in, Daryl looked up at her with his big blues, "Ain't ya gonna jump in?"

Evan gave him a soft smile as she leaned down and kissed his forehead, "Yeah, but in a second. I wanna check out the books."

Once she made sure Daryl was fast asleep, Evan walked down to where Edwin said the rec room was. She slowed down when she heard the sound of Lori's panicked voice, "No, you're drunk!", "Shane! Shane!"

Evan's blood started to boil when she saw Shane had Lori pinned against the wall, his hands were all over her. Evan grunted as she quickly ran into the room and tore Shane away from Lori. Lori was crying as she slid against the wall in defeat, Evan stood protectively in front of her as she glared at Shane, "Don't ever touch her again, don't you even think about it."

Shane chuckled dryly as he tried to step up, however before he could reach Lori, Evan's fist met his throat. He gasped as he felt pain shoot through his neck, a bruise was going to form for sure. Evan looked down at Shane who had fallen down to his knees and she sneered in pure disgust, "Get outta my sight, you pig."

Without having to be told twice, Shane slowly raised to his full height and stalked out of the room. Evan helped Lori up and gently brushed the brunette's hair away from her face, "Are you okay?"

Lori took deep breaths as she gave Evan a look filled with gratitude, "T-thank you. I-I-I couldn't thank you enough."

Evan gave her a nod and walked Lori to the room she shared with Rick. They stopped in front of the door and Evan gave Lori, who was still shaken-up, a small smile, "If he ever touches you again, tell me. I'm here... We may not be best friends-" Evan was kinda shocked when Lori pulled her into a quick hug. The brunette thanked her again before she pulled away and disappeared into the room, closing the door behind her back. 

Evan sighed to herself as she made her way to her and Daryl's room, the books were completely forgotten about.

-

"Morning."

Daryl walked up to where Evan stood the next morning and kissed the top of her head, "Where were ya last night? Must've come back when I was long asleep."

Evan glared at Shane from the corner of the room as she brought her coffee up to her lips, "Got caught up with them books."

Edwin walked into the room, pouring himself a cup of coffee, "Morning."

A few gave him a greeting in return and then Dale spoke up, "Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing-" The doctor chuckled as he turned to face the older man, "You will anyway." Andrea, of course, defended Dale, "We didn't come here for the eggs."

After he heaved a sigh, Doctor Jenner mentioned for everyone to follow him. They walked back to Zone five. He cleared his throat before he spoke up, "Vi, give me playback of TS-19."

"Playback of TS-19."

The image of a human, laying on their back appeared on the screen. However, it looked as if it was through an x-ray, the only thing that was visible was the outline of their head. However, something seemed out of the ordinary.

Carl looked at the huge monitor in front of them as he asked curiously, "Is that a brain?"

Jenner hummed in reply as he glanced at the small boy, "An extraordinary one." He looked at the screen with an unreadable expression on his face as he sighed softly, "Not that it matters at the end." Once his full attention was on the monitor, he continued, "Take us to E.I.V."

"Enhanced internal view."

The image started to zoom in closer until it showed all types of sparkling blue lights running around. Evan glanced at her brother who walked up to where she was standing and she leaned against him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Silence fell over the group as they just watched the beautifully tragic scene in front of them. Shane glanced at Jenner as he asked, "What are those lights?"

He turned around briefly and started explaining, "It's a person's life experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is the thing that makes you," he gestured with his hand towards Rick and the others, "unique. And human."

Daryl raised an eyebrow as he pulled away from Evan slightly while she took a sip of her coffee, "Ya don't make sense ever?"

Edwin glanced at the twins as he explained further, "Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages." 

Evan glanced around at everyone and couldn't help but feel some strange emotion, some shell of peace and pain at the same time and she knew that the others felt it too. She looked back at the doctor who continued to explain, "They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth," He seeped in a soft breath as his eyes looked distant, as if he was deep in thought, "to the moment of death..."

"Death?" questioned Rick as he stepped forward, "Is that what this is? A vigil?" 

"Yes..." Jenner glanced back at Rick as he gave a nod, "Or rather the playback of the vigil."

Andrea stood next to Rick as she spoke up in a soft voice, "This person died? Who?"

"Test subject nineteen." Was Edwin's hesitant answer, he continued quietly, hurt seeping from his voice, "Someone who was bitten and infected, and volunteered to have us record the process." His voice became slightly higher as he gave Vi another command, "Vi, scan forward to the first event."

Once it charged the scene changed and Daryl couldn't help but share a worried glance with his sister. Something black like rotten tree branches started spreading, taking over the beautiful blue lights. Glenn asked carefully, "What is that?"

The doctor glanced back at the young Asian boy, "It invades the brain like meningitis." His hollow gaze turned back to the screen in front of them, "The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs." While he was talking, the human on the screen looked as if they started to have a seizure. Then all of a sudden, the entire brain went black and they became motionless. Edwin sighed as he glanced at the ground, "Then death. Everything you ever were and ever will," he snapped his fingers, "Gone."

Evan glanced at Sophia who stood next to her mother. The little girl looked up at her mother and asked a seemingly innocent question, "Is that what happened with Jim?"

Carol could only pull her daughter closer as a quiet, "Yes." left her thin lips. Andrea took a deep breath in, which seemingly caught Edwin's attention. Lori was the one to elaborate, "She lost somebody two days ago... Her sister."

Edwin put a hand on Andrea's shoulder and spoke in a soft voice, the woman seemed on the verge of tears, "I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." He turned his attention back to the screen, "Scan to the second event,"

While the second event loaded and Edwin explained how long it usually takes for them to come back, Daryl glanced at his sister and he spoke up in a hushed voice, "I would've never guessed it woulda get so dark..." He trailed off and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach.

A red light appeared somewhere deep in the core of the brain and the test subject started moving, bit by bit. As if she was reading his mind, Evan spoke up for the first time in a while, "It restarts the brain or something?"

Doctor Jenner shook his head as he glanced at the twins, "No, just the brain stem." He gestured with his hand as he spoke, "Basically it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?", asked Rick as he made his way closer. Jenner shrugged, then lazily raised his hand in the direction of the screen, "You tell me."

Rick frowned. after a moment, he shook his head, "It's nothing like before. Most of the brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead..." Jenner glanced back at the group briefly, "The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part. That doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by a mindless instinct."

Evan flinched and shifted closer to her brother who did the same. Something seemed to tear through the person's head, which made the brain turn black once again. Comments quickly filled the air, however, Evan nor Daryl needed confirmation to know what happened. The person got shot, putting them down in an endless sleep.

The others quickly started to bomb the doctor with questions and they weren't happy with the lack of answers they got. Evan didn't pay much attention, however, seemingly her brother did because he ran a frustrated hand over his face as he finally stepped away from Evan completely and turned around to leave the room, "Man, I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk. Again."

Just as Evan turned around to follow Daryl, she stopped when she heard a really interesting question asked by Dale. She looked at the huge digital clock on the far wall and frowned, Dale was right, that clock was counting down. Jenner explained that when it reached zero, the basement generators run out of fuel. Evan really didn't like the sound of that and Rick seemed to be worried as well as he asked, "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"

The answer wasn't the one they all wanted for sure. Evan sneaked out of the room, leaving her cup behind. She quickly walked down to where she and Daryl slept. Without even a glance at her brother, who like expected nursed a bottle of wine, she started to pack the very few things they had, adding some of the supplies in the room to the bags. Daryl raised an eyebrow as he sat up, "Eve, what's up?"

Before she could even think of answering, the lights turned off. Evan cursed under her breath as she got up and dashed out of the room, her brother hot on her trails. They quickly ran to zone five where the commotion was already starting to grow. Evan stopped on top of the stairs and watched as her brother and the others trailed behind Jenner.

Jenner ignored everyone as he walked around the big hall, "The system is dropping all of the nonessential use of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule."

Evan seemed to be frozen in time for a second as panic set in when she found out what was happening. The building was shutting down. She snapped when she heard the rustling of metal, loud voices and alarms. Before she could take a step forward, she was forced to fall back as a huge metal door slid down, separating her from the others. Her breath got caught in her throat and she started banging on the door, "Hey! You asshole, open up!"

"Eve?! Evan!"

Footsteps could be heard and then someone started to bang on the door. That, someone, turned out to be Daryl, "Eve, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She banged at the door a few times before she groaned, "Find a way to get me outta here, I will get our bags!"

Despite her brother's panicked voice, telling her to stay where she was, Evan ran back to where her and the others stayed and started to pack everything they owned. It took her a few rounds and whenever she went back to the door where she put the bags, she felt a small piece of relief fill her, knowing that her brother and the others were still there.

Just as she put down the last bag, she saw the metal door slide up. Carol and T-Dog who stood on the other side of the door quickly took as many bags as they could and ran down the stairs, Evan close behind them. The others made a beeline for the exit while Daryl and Rick, who stayed at the bottom of the stairs grabbed a few of the bags Evan was carrying. They made their way to where Andrea, Jacqui, and Dale were. Rick stopped, however, the twins kept running. 

They reached the exit, there was no way out. Daryl and Shane grabbed axes and started hitting at the glass, hoping that it would break before the building set itself on fire. Suddenly Carol ran to Rick as she looking into her bag, "Rick, I found something when I washed your clothes." Shane grunted as he paused for a second, then he shot the woman a look, "Carol, I don't think a nail file is going to help."

Evan smirked when the short woman pulled out a grenade. Without having to think twice, Rick prepared it while Shane and Daryl jumped from the windows and the others all hid. Evan ran to the corner furthest away from the window and curled into a ball, Daryl curled himself over her, shielding her with his own body. She held onto him tightly and she whimpered when the explosion shook the ground.

They climbed out and made a beeline for the RV. Rick sat down on the driver's seat and got ready to back off, however, Lori stopped him, "Look, they're coming!"

Sure enough, Andrea and Dale climbed out of the building and started running towards where the vehicles were. A rumble shook deep from within the building and Rick cursed under his breath, then he turned to the others, "To the back of the RV, now!"

Not having to be told twice, everyone ran to the back of the RV. They curled against each other and Daryl held Evan as if his life depended on it. Then it finally happened, the RV swayed side-to-side as the building crumbled to the ground. It went for a while, however after a few minutes, people started to untangle themselves from each other. 

The CDC was equal to the ground, it was completely gone. Not a single trace was left of it. 

Slowly, everyone started to pile into their cars. Evan decided she wanted to ride with her brother, so the two loaded Merle's bike in the back of the truck and climbed in. The twins shared a glance and Evan took hold of Daryl's hand, giving it a squeeze. Daryl sighed as he squeezed his sister's hand back, then let go. With that, he started the truck and drove off, following the others on their way to Fort Benning.


	6. Walkers Stalkers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane gets baptized, Evan is experiencing mood swings and Daryl is overprotective.

Season: two

Evan and Daryl didn't talk much while they were driving. Evan looked out the window while her brother kept his eyes on the road, the sounds of the old CD's they found in the glovebox kept them occupied. Daryl couldn't help but look at his sister from the corner of his eye from time to time, she seemed quiet. Way too quiet than usual. Most of the time, it was the other way around. The twins never really were people that braided each other's hair while they shared their feelings, they were the same person, been through the same things and carried similar scars. It wasn't rocket science to know when the other felt down and most of the time, Daryl was the one under the weather, his sister, however, was always there for him in the dark. They always had each other's backs.

Daryl cursed under his breath which caught Evan's attention. He hit the horn as the truck slowly came to a stop. The vehicles ahead of them followed and the others piled out. Rick, Shane and Dale walked to where the siblings stood by their truck and Rick asked, "Ran out?"

Daryl nodded as he blocked the sun from his vision with his hand, "Yep. The chopper is full tho."

Dale nodded as he shifted from one foot to another, "We can put your things in the RV and you can drive with us. Or one of you could join while the other took the chopper, I don't think you would want to leave it behind."

Evan looked at her brother who returned the look, "Want me to ride the triumph or?"

Daryl shook his head as he walked over to the backdoor and pulled it open, "Nah, you better go with Dale. It's been a while since I last rode the old thing."

Shane and Dale loaded Evan, Daryl and Merle's things in the RV while Daryl and Rick took care of the bike. Once it was on the ground, Rick nodded his head then headed back to where his car was parked. Evan slid off from where she was sitting on the hood of the truck. She wrapped her arms around Daryl's shoulders as the two shared a hug, "Be safe, okay?"

Daryl hummed softly and the two pulled away. Evan glanced at her brother one last time before she walked to the RV and got on, closing the door behind herself. Daryl revved the machine to life and immediately sped off in front of everyone else. The wind pushed his short hair back and he felt adrenaline rush through his vines like every time he was on two wheels. The Dixon's, they all had fuel in their blood. 

Evan sat in the very back of the RV, away from everybody else. Every time she blinked, she saw a different flashback, whether it be Merle drinking the beer he and Eve stole or the three Dixon siblings doing something illegal and stupid, that was when Merle was around, which never happened much. Her big brother was an asshole and he did awful things to both her and her twin, however, Evan found herself missing him. She missed the way he cursed like a sailor, missed the way he would give her or Daryl a slap on the back of the head. Evan remembered that one time when Daryl wasn't home, but Merle was. Well, sort of. 

Merle helped Evan sneak out of their home and the two went riding, Merle was upfront and Evan sat behind, her arms around her brother's waist. They ended up on top on some hill, drinking beers and just talking like they've never done before. While they sat on the hill, the old beat-up truck came into view and Daryl got out, joining his siblings. He was sporting a new black eye, but he brushed it off as if it was nothing. The three of them ended up talking about whatever came to their minds and then they made the pact, the Dixon's against the whole wide world, no matter what.

While they were driving in the truck, away from CDC, Evan asked her a brother a question, "We ain't gonna stop looking for him, right?"

Daryl glanced at her and was silent for a while. Then he spoke up, his voice just above a whisper, "Of course. We gotta find somewhere safe first tho. We've been movin' around way too much."

Evan was pulled out of her trance when the RV came to a stop. She got up and looked through the window and she couldn't help but sigh in relief when she saw that Daryl was still in one piece, however she frowned when she saw they were in the middle of a huge roadblock. Daryl and Dale exchanged a few words before Daryl took off slowly, the RV right behind him. They successfully made their way through the cars, however, that was until smoke appeared, coming from the RV, along with some whistling noises that really didn't sound good.

Dale grunted as he got up from the driver's seat and walked off the RV, the others following him, the rest of the group were already waiting for him. Dale sighed as he walked towards the front o the RV, Shane right beside him, "I said it, didn't I say? Dead in the water."

Evan Looked to where Daryl was making their way towards them and she mentioned with her hand to one of the cars while she walked towards another. Daryl nodded and he walked over to the trunk of the car and started looking through it. Dale who was in the middle of saying something looked at the twins with a raised eyebrow, "This is dumb."

Shane cocked his head to the side as he spoke up, "Ain't gonna find a find a radiator hose here."

Daryl looked over his shoulder briefly before he looked through the items he had in his hands, "There's whole buncha stuff we can find here."

T-Dog nodded his head as a smirk climbed on his lips, "I can siphon more fuel from the cars for a start."

Carol nodded from where she stood with her hands on Sophia's shoulders, "Maybe some water? Or food?"

Lori looked at everyone as she spoke up, "This is a graveyard."

Evan quickly pulled back from where she was almost waist-deep into one truck before she turned to the brunette and snarled, "Well, rest in peace, now do something useful for once, huh?"

Everyone stood there staring at the two. Daryl looked at Evan as he slowly shook his head. She shot him a glare before she grunted under her breath and walked away, disappearing between the cars. Despite Lori's concerns, the others started making their ways to the cars too, looking for anything that could help them, from clothes to food, to water.

Daryl whistled from behind Evan she turned around. He handed her her crossbow and she thanked him as she slung it over her back. Daryl squinted his eyes slightly as he moved closer, "You okay?"

She nodded her head and sighed as she started walking away, "Gotta be."

Evan walked over to a huge truck, Shane and Glenn were standing near it, looking for any parts under the hood of some car they could use. She looked at the side of the truck and her eyes widened when she realized what it was. She readjusted her crossbow over her back as she made her way to the back of the truck. She slid the back door up and a genuine smile crossed her features as she looked at the two men not that far away from her, "Yo, guys?"

They looked up from under the hood just as Evan put her hands on one of the caps of one of the huge water containers, their faces immediately mirrored hers as she cocked an eyebrow, "We low on water?"

Shane quickly threw the screwdriver he was holding at Glenn before he went over to where Evan stood, water pouring out on top of her and she couldn't help but laugh as Shane picked her up and moved her to the side so he could stand under the stream. He groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair, "It's like being baptized, man!"

He grabbed Evan and pulled her under the stream with him. They were both laughing hard as they stood under the stream, Shane's arms wrapped around Evan's shoulders from behind, the water falling over them like the gift of God. Evan decided to ignore what happened at the CDC for just a few minutes, she needed to have some fun. The others looked at the two with huge smiles, both from what they found and the fact they were laughing however Daryl couldn't help the glare that reached his face, Shane was way too close to Evan for his liking. 

Daryl looked over to where Dale stood on the hood of the RV. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun and frowned when he saw Dale lower himself to the hood of the RV. Then he quickly put two and two together and cursed his breath when he realized that an entire herd of walkers was making their way towards them. He looked around frantically and caught a glimpse of Shane pushing Evan and Glenn under the same car Glenn was working on, at least he knew she wasn't alone.

Daryl sneaked around the cars, he made sure he was crouched down so he couldn't be noticed. He cursed under his breath when he saw a walker making its way towards the sound of T-Dog's grunts of pain. He sneaked behind the walker and threw his crossbow to the ground. He grabbed his knife from his belt and shot up quickly, putting an end to the walker's second life. 

He raised his finger to his lips, mentioning for T-Dog to stay quiet, then he grabbed the man by the legs and dragged him into a laying position. Daryl threw the recently killed walker on top of T-Dog, then grabbed another one that was sitting in a car nearby and quickly threw himself on the ground, covering himself with the corpse.

The walkers made their way past the cars and broken vehicles, their moans and grunts of agony filled the air. The only thing Evan could see were the monsters' feet, dragging against the concrete. She felt as Shane pulled her closer protectively, then both him and Glenn turned to their sides on either side of her, their backs to her.

Time seemed to slow down and finally, Evan let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Shane and Glenn climbed out from underneath the car and Shane helped Evan to her feet. They stood crouched down for a second as they looked around, trying to figure out if everything was really over. 

There was a scream. It was from Sophia. The little girl continued to scream and despite Shane telling her to stay put, Evan quickly grabbed her crossbow from the ground and ran to the sound of the screams. She finally circled around the cars and made a beeline towards where the group was gathered. Just as she went to jump over and run after Sophia, two strong arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her back. Daryl turned Evan around in his arms and he gripped her shoulders, "Don't go. Rick followed the little girl. You running down could attract more of 'em."

Evan breathed heavily as she leaned her forehead against her brother's shoulder, closing her eyes. Daryl wrapped his arms around his sister while he looked over Evan's shoulder and into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with writing season two and I want to know... Should I kill Merle in season three or nah? You decide!


	7. Lack Of Luck

Season : two

"Ya sure this' the spot?"

Rick nodded frantically as he looked around, "I'm one hundred percent sure. When I came back she was nowhere to be seen. Thought she had made her way to the highway."

Evan turned back to where her brother and Rick, along with Shane were standing, her crossbow in her hands, "With her paddling through the water, I think she should't be that far. She's somewhere close."

Rick took a few steps as he spoke, showing Daryl and Evan the directions he gave Sophia, "I told her to head over there, make sure the sun is on her left shoulder."

Evan whistled, startling Glenn, "Yo, Asia-man, step back, you're all over the tracks." She pointed to the dirt as she glanced at Daryl and he nodded, catching up easily. Daryl looked over his shoulder and pointed to where Evan had shown him, "There are fresh tracks here. Did like ya said, headed to the highway."

Shane helped Evan climb through the dirt while Glenn helped Daryl and Rick, Evan was already ahead of everyone, following the tracks of the little girl. The group followed the siblings until Evan frowned as she crouched to her knees, taking a close look at the dirt. Daryl hummed in confusion as he glanced at Rick, "She was doing just fine until here. All she had to do was keep going, but she headed that way."

Evan nodded as she got up, fixing the weights of her crossbow, "Headed through the bushes. I see no other tracks, no walker, nothing."

Shane looked at Rick as he asked, "So what are we gonna do now? Keep looking for her?"

Rick shook his head as he mentioned with his head to Glenn and Evan, "Y'all go with Evan, back to the highway." He looked at Evan as he continued, "Go with them, just for good measure. Last thing we need is more people getting lost."

Evan looked at her brother as she shifted from one foot to another slightly, "Should I come back after?"

Daryl shook his head as he took his crossbow from his back and fixed the weights, "Nah, I've got this. We should be back before sunset, ain't gonna do anythin' good when it's dark."

Evan turned her attention to Rick who spoke up next, "Figure out something, keep the others occupied. Don't let them panic, they're all shaken up now."

Evan nodded as Shane spoke up, "We're gonna keep looking for supplies. Anything is appreciated right now. Stay safe."

He gave Evan a nod and she nodded back. She sent her brother one last glance before she started walking to the highway, the other two following close behind. Shane walked by her side while Glenn trailed a few steps behind them. Shane glanced at Evan's crossbow as the three walked in silence before he spoke up, "How come you can track? How did you learn?"

Evan shot him a glance as she shrugged before she fixed her grip on the crossbow, "I dunno. Daryl and I were kids, Merle was in his teen years. He was out somewhere, he never stayed home much, I think he was with our uncle in Texas... Nah, wait, he was in the juvenile. One time Daryl took off, was gone for a day and then I decided to go find him, dad didn't seem to care much. Saw some footsteps towards the woods, so I followed them. Only ended up getting lost as well. Circled around the woods, pissing my pants from fear for two days until something just snapped in me and the forest started talking to me. It's weird, I just noticed so many things and I heard so many sounds in the silence. Caught some tracks on the fifth day, decided to follow them. Saw my brother taking a dump. Spooked him real bad, fell into some bushes, it was hilarious. Anyway, we just kinda, y'know, learned some things together. Came back home nine days later, made ourselves sandwiches."

The three finally made their way to the RV. Dale climbed down from the roof and he raised an eyebrow as he turned to Evan, "Where's your brother? Rick?"

Evan slung her crossbow over her shoulder, then she shifted from one foot to the other as she raised a hand, running her fingers through her hair that was starting to irritate her, "Daryl's even a better tracker than I am. Him and Rick decided it's better they continue the search. Where are the others?"

Carl's head popped from the side of the RV and he waved, "Hi Eve!"

Evan waved back, giving the blue-eyed boy a smile while Dale continued, "Carol is inside the RV, ended up having a panic attack, wore herself out, told her to get some rest. Lori asked me to watch Carl, her and T-Dog are currently by the water truck, we decided it's a good idea to load some of the containers in the RV and in the cars, we need the water."

Shane nodded his head as he scratched the top of his head, "Good, Rick told us to look around, collect what we think is necessary. If you ask me, anything is welcomed."

"Hey?" Glenn took a few steps forward as he asked Dale, "What about Andrea? Everything okay?"

Dale's face seemed to drop but he quickly covered it up with a nod, "Yeah, she should be around somewhere, I'm sure. Has been walking up and down the side of the road, waiting for you to come back."

Evan and Shane shared a look, both of them were suspicious. Evan shook her head discreetly and Shane nodded before he walked off, Glenn too. They didn't have time to deal with whatever problem Andrea and Dale had. They were grown-up people, even if something in Andrea snapped after the CDC. They were all slightly different since the CDC.

Evan pulled her angel vest around her tighter as she sat on the hood of a car. Dale decided it wouldn't hurt if she sat down for a while, the fact that she was practically starving didn't help her blood pressure situations. Plus they had moved a lot of cars out of the way and they found enough supplies for a while, she could take a break.

At one point Carol ended up joining her and Evan found herself putting a hand on the slightly older woman's back. She gave Carol a nod and after a short pause, the woman nodded back. The two of them quickly slid off the hood of the car when they heard rustling and saw Rick and Daryl approaching in from the distance. The others quickly made their way towards where Evan and Carol stood.

Carol whimpered as she looked at the two men in front of her, "You didn't find her?"

Rick shook his had, his attention on Carol, Daryl glanced at Evan before he looked at the fragile, small woman, "Her trail went cold, we'll pick it up first thing at light."

Carol shook her head as tears threatened to spill, her bottom lip was trembling, "You can't just leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods."

Evan shifted forward as she spoke up, "They have no choice, Carol. Out in the dark's no good, they would be just tripping all over themselves, might get lost too."

"But she's twelve!" The first few tears started spilling out of the woman's big, blue eyes, "She can't be out there on her own, you didn't find anything?"

Rick went to put a hand on Carol's forearm but she pulled back, "I know this is very hard on you, but I'm asking you not to panic." He glanced at Evan before he continued, "Evan and Daryl picked up her tracks, we followed them for a while, we know she was out there. " Daryl nodded, readjusting his hold on his crossbow while the ex-sheriff continued, "We have to make this an organized effort."

Evan nodded as she moved closer to her brother, "Daryl and I know these woods better than anybody else-"

Carol's eyes got wide as she noticed the stain on Daryl's pant leg, "Is that blood?" Daryl sighed as he nodded his head, ignoring Evan's slightly worried gaze, "We took down a walker."

That was enough to make Carol start panicking all over again, well, she hadn't stopped in the first place, but it only got worse. 

Rick spoke up, looking at Carol's hyperventilating, shaking form, "There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia."

Andrea crossed her arms over chest as she spoke up for the first time in a while, "How can you know that?"

Daryl looked at the blonde both him and Evan disliked as he nodded reassuringly, "We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure."

Carol held a hand up to her chest as she took a deep breath, "Oh God..."

Evan needed to step away and sit down. She slowly turned around and started walking away as Carol continued to break, more and more by the passing second. She heard footsteps and felt her brother's arm wrap around her waist loosely, "You good?"

Evan nodded as she climbed onto the hood of one of the cars nearby, Daryl stood in front of her as he looked at her, "Yeah, I'm good. I've been getting kinda dizzy is all, nothing new under the sun."

Daryl looked up at her, then he glanced at the group still standing at the side of the road, "I think Rick did the right thing, ya know."

Evan nodded as she watched Carol disappear into the RV while Rick gave Carl a kiss on the forehead, "Me too, a herd had just walked by. If he fired, more would've appeared and they would be screwed. Such a pity Sophia is out there alone," she turned her gaze to the setting sun and paused for a second, then she looked back at her brother as a ghost of a smile curled on her thin lips, "But we two survived the same thing. Plus we're the ones tracking her down. We're gonna find her. The others need a chill pill."


	8. Bambi's To Blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two trackers are better than one, one hunter doesn't take down its prey and it ends up causing problems.

Season: two

"Everybody takes a weapon. "

"These aren't the kinds of weapons we need."

Evan rolled her eyes as she bumped her hip into Daryl's, her brother chuckled as he shook his head. Looked like Andrea wasn't about to give up on her precious gun any time soon.

Shane glanced at the siblings, trying to hide the smirk on his face. He cleared his throat and glanced at the ground before he looked at Andrea, "We've been over that. The Dixon's, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles."

Andrea rolled her eyes before she glared at Shane, "It's not the trees I'm worried about."

Evan rolled her eyes as she stepped up, ignoring Daryl who tried to stop her, "Listen here, Barbie, say somebody fires at the wrong moment, say a herd happens to be walking past, huh? What then? It's gonna be game over for all of us, so get over it."

Andrea glared at the woman in front of her, but Evan just raised her eyebrow. Andrea sighed and backed off a few steps, which caused Evan to chuckle as she gave her brother a nod. He nodded back and spoke up right after, "The idea is to take creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark."

Evan nodded as she glanced at her brother, "Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between each other but always stay within sight of each other."

Shane took a huge gulp of his water bottle then handed it to Rick who took it gladly, once he swallowed the gulp he spoke up, " Everybody assemble your packs."

Rick turned to talk to Dale while the twins walked off to the side of the road, a few of their group following them. Evan glanced at her brother as she took her crossbow off her back and fixed the weights, "Back like the good old times, huh?" Daryl nodded his head as he gave her a small smile, "Yep. Gotta watch out what types of leaves we use this time tho." Evan giggled as she stood up to her full height, "Oh man, you couldn't sit on your ass for over a week!"

Rick signalized that they were all ready to go. Daryl rolled his eyes as he gave Evan's shoulder a squeeze before they took off, Daryl and Evan leading.

The group walked for a while, not that long, maybe fifteen minutes until Evan started crouching down slightly, peeking out from behind a bush. She glanced at Daryl, mentioning for him to step up closer as she knocked an arrow into place. Once Daryl saw what was in front of them, he mentioned for Rick to step closer and look too. It was a tent, hidden behind a few bushes. Evan started taking a few careful steps forward and she mentioned for Rick to follow, Daryl too. 

Shane peeked out from behind everyone as he whispered, "She could be in there."

Evan chuckled humorlessly as she took another cautious step forward, signalizing for the other two to stop, "Could be a whole bunch of other things in there." She looked over her shoulder and waved her hand, indicating for Carol to step forward, "Carol, c'mere."

Rick guided Carol forward, Daryl right behind them, his crossbow raised. Evan looked at Carol as she nodded her head, "Call out softly, if she's in there, yours is the first voice she could hear." Carol nodded and Evan mentioned for Daryl to cover her. He nodded and took a few steps forward, staying right behind his sister as Carol called out, "Sophia?"

The woman continued to call out softly while Evan moved closer and closer. She unzipped the tent and slowly stepped inside, one foot after the other, disappearing from sight. Daryl stood outside and he couldn't help but shift nervously when his sister took too long for his liking. All of a sudden he heard Evan cough and gag from inside and he quickly moved closer, lifting his crossbow, "Evan? Evan?"

Evan quickly crawled out from inside the tent and she took deep breaths. She shook her head as she coughed up again, "It ain't her. Some dude. Did like Jenner, opted out." She glanced at Andrea as she cocked an eyebrow, "Ain't that what he called it?"

All of a sudden, the sound of church bells filled the air. Evan and Daryl shared a quick nod and the two took off running, leading the others towards the sound of the bells. They paused for a second before Evan lifted her hand, showing the others the direction, "That way! I'm pretty sure!" Daryl grunted as he jumped over a fallen tree branch, "Damn, it's hard to tell out here!"

Suddenly, the ringing stopped, but it didn't matter, they were already in the yard of some church. Evan didn't think twice as she took all of the steps at once and busted through the door. There were only about five or seven walkers in the worst case. Rick, Evan, Daryl, and Shane took care of them quickly, ordering the others to stay back. Once they were done, Shane panted, "Can't be this one, guys, got no steeple, no bells."

Daryl elbowed Evan before he looked at the huge statue of Jesus, "Yo, J.C.? Taking requests?"

The bells started ringing again. Evan and Daryl glanced at each other before they ran out, the others following. Evan cursed under her breath before she opened the lid of the small device, turning it off, "It's on a timer."

They all stood in a somewhat awkward silence after. All of a sudden, Carol spoke up, "I'm gonna go back in for a bit."

The others either followed Carol or just scattered around. Evan turned to look at her brother as she slid down against the wall and sat down on the ground, "Go inside if you want. Imma stay here, don't feel to welcome inside." Daryl chuckled and mirrored his sister's position, then he wrapped his arm over Evan's shoulders, giving the top of her head a kiss, "You and me both, sunshine."

The two ended up sitting like that for a while, Evan even dozed off for a few minutes before the others finally appeared again. Daryl helped her up then the two walked to where Rick and Shane were talking in front of the steps. They stood a few feet away from everyone, observing the scene, Rick and Shane were bickering like an old married couple. Once they were finally done, Shane turned to look at the twins, "Y'all gonna follow the Creek Bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge."

Daryl nodded as Rick spoke up, addressing Evan, "Shane and I are gonna stay back, search this area for another hour or so just to be thorough. Wanna tag along? Two teams, two trackers, we've got a bigger chance."

Daryl frowned as he stepped closer to his sister, "You're splitting us up?"

Evan looked at her brother as she nodded, "Hey, it makes sense. Then we can cover more ground." 

Daryl searched his sister's face for a while before he nodded back. The two shared a quick hug as Rick and Lori discussed whether or not Carl should accompany his father and the other two. Lori ended up agreeing. She had no reason not to, despite her differences with Shane and Evan, she knew Rick trusted the two, that meant she would trust them too. Rick gave her a gun and Evan and Daryl shared a glance when Andrea huffed in frustration. Lori tried to object, saying she couldn't leave Rick unarmed, but then Evan stepped up, taking her extra for emergencies out of the back of her pants, "Take mine, I've got a spare." Lori took it and nodded her head gratefully, Evan gave her a nod in return.

They finally split up into two groups and took off in different directions. Carl kept asking Evan questions and actually, she didn't mind. Unlike Shane, she didn't take her frustration due to not being able to catch a trail out at the small boy, despite being busy, she was able to explain Carl a few things and Rick found himself smiling for a short moment, he was grateful Evan was being nice to his son. It was clear that the two had developed a bond since the beginning.

All of a sudden, the sound of branches breaking caused everyone to stop. The four of them crouched down, Evan upfront as she held her crossbow high in attention.

A beautiful deer appeared from behind some bushes. Evan glanced at Carl who looked at the deer in awe and she quickly put her crossbow down, there was no way she would kill the animal in front of the kid. Apparently Shane had other ideas, but Rick's sharp whisper of disapproval stopped him.

Carl took a few steps forward and the deer didn't move, it simply stood there. The beautiful animal lifted its head and looked at Carl. Carl's smile got wider the closer he got to the animal and he ended up outstretching his hand towards the deer.

Then a gunshot cut through the air and the deer fell to the ground, Carl's own body hit the grass-covered ground moments later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, today was such a day. Decided to upload something real quick before bed. Goodnight y'all!


	9. Dixon Sent You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan brings the men and Carl to Hershel's farm, Daryl is worried but he's good at hiding it.

Season: two 

They were running as fast as they could, they pushed it to their limit and ran even faster. Evan was up ahead of everyone, taking down any potential threat that was in their way. Rick was right behind her, carrying Carl's limp body in his arms, grunting from time to time in pain, frustration and many other emotions. Shane was right behind them, making sure that that Otis guy was catching up.

There it was. Finally. The house Otis told them about. Evan noticed a girl, sitting on the front porch. She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, then she raised her arms up in the air, waving them around wildly, "Hey! Help!"

The girl quickly got up and headed inside the house, calling out for help. Evan stopped Rick as she slung her crossbow over her shoulder, Rick nodded gratefully as he carefully put Carl in Evan's arms. She started running, holding the boy tightly against herself and just as she reached the house, people piled onto the front porch, the oldest man spoke up, "Was he bit?"

Evan grunted as she ran up the stairs, "Shot, by your man. Said to find Hershel."

Rick still tried to regain his breath as he looked at Hershel, a pleading look on his face, "Help me-- Help my boy."

The man named Hershel ordered Evan to take him inside and she did as told, Rick followed her like a lost puppy. Hershel gave his family tasks and he glanced at Evan, "What is his name?"

Evan glanced at Rick, the man's bright blue eyes were filled with tears, ready to flow any time, "Rick, his name is Rick."

Hershel nodded as he gave Evan a pad and made her put pressure on the wound. She did as told, then she glanced at Rick as he spoke up, his voice was shaking, "Is he alive?"

Hershel checked for a pulse and nodded before he got to work again, "I've got a pulse, it's faint. " The elderly man then looked at Evan and she caught on, she quickly stepped back, giving the man and his family enough space to work. Evan walked over to where Rick and Shane stood, apparently Shane and Otis finally made their way there. Hershel looked back at Rick as he asked, "What's his blood type?"

Rick wiped his forehead, smearing some blood onto it which caused Shane to sigh as he searched for something in his backpack, "A-positive. Just - just like mine." Shane grabbed the back of Rick's head with his hand and started wiping the blood away from his friend's face.

Hershel glanced at Rick, a faint smile on his face, "That's fortunate. Don't wander far. I'm gonna need you." Then he turned his attention to Otis, "What happened?"

Evan didn't want to hear Otis's excuse. She looked at her shaky hands, they were red. She looked at Rick, he had red on his shirt and a little bit on his forehead too. Everything got blurry for a second before Rick spoke up, "Lori doesn't know?" Shane put his hands on Rick's shoulders, trying to get his best friend to calm down, but with no luck. "My-my wife, she doesn't, Lori doesn't know, she doesn't know."

-

Way back in the woods, Daryl walked ahead of everyone, leading the way. Lori stopped and started looking back the way they came. Andrea took a few steps forward as she questioned, "You still worrying about it?"

Lori looked back at her as she gave her a look, "It was a gunshot."

Daryl shrugged as he shifted from foot to foot, "We all heard it."

Lori turned her glare to him this time, "Why one, why just one gunshot?" The blue-eyed man shrugged as he readjusted his hold on his crossbow, "Maybe they took down a walker." The brunette scoffed as she stepped closer, "Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker, or Shane and especially Evan. They would have your sister put a bolt through it, do it quietly."

Carol nodded as she looked back and forth from Daryl to Lori a few times, "Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?"

Daryl shrugged as he looked around the woods, " There's nothing we can do about it now. Can't run around these woods, chasing echoes."

"So, what do we do?" Asked Andrea. Daryl scoffed as he glanced at the blonde, "Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

Andrea sighed before she looked at Lori and gave the brunette a nod, "I'm sure they will hook up with us back at the RV."

Lori gave back a hesitant nod and started walking, following Daryl. They were forced to stop again as they looked back at Andrea and Carol who were a few feet away from the group, "I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel."

Carol gave Andrea a small smile as she nodded her head, "I suppose you do, thank you." She looked at a tree behind Andrea as she took a deep breath, clearly holding back tears , "The thought of her, out here by herself... It's not k owing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy-" Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, her gaze back to the younger blonde, "Oh God! That's the worst thing I've ever said!"

Andrea stepped back a bit and a clearly fake small curled at the corners of her lips, "We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth."

Daryl couldn't take it anymore. He walked up to the two as he snarled, "I'll tell ya what it's worth -- not a damn thing! It's a waste of time, all that hopin' an' prayin'." He looked at Carol and widened his eyes slightly as he nodded his head, acting as if he was explaining rocket science to a toddler, "We're gonna locate that little girl and she's gonna be just fine." He scoffed as he looked at the two women, "Am I the only one zen around here? Good Lord!"

With that he walked away, the others following him close behind.

-

Evan stood in the corner of the room. Shane and Rick were talking quietly, Rick wasn't even trying to hide the few tears that slipped down his cheeks. Evan was sure she, herself was on the verge of tears, Carl was a good kid, an amazing kid, she cared for him as if he was her own.

The door suddenly busted open and Hershel appeared, the slightest bit of panic clear on his face, "Rick, he needs blood, now."

The three quickly followed Hershel, the sound of Carl's pained cries filled the air. Patricia quickly started to take blood from Rick while Shane and Evan were told to hold the small boy down. Carl continued to thrash and cry which caused Rick's heart to break, "You're killing him!"

Hershel readjusted his hold on his tweezers as he fought to keep Carl's wound open, "Rick, do you want him to live?! Do it now!"

Suddenly, Carl's crying stopped and he became motionless. Shane visibly paled, Evan knew she wasn't any better. Hershel quickly looked at the two that were holding the boy down before he continued, "He just passed out."

Finally, he pulled out a fragment and he held it up as he looked at it, "One down, five to go."

Evan again found her place in the corner of the room, Shane by her side while Hershel checked Carl's blood pressure. The hissing of the apparatus stopped and Hershel pulled the stethoscope out of his ears as he looked at Rick and nodded his head, "Pressure's stable."

Rick looked at Shane, his eyes glossed over with fresh tears, "Lori needs to be here." He started getting up, but his knees buckled from underneath him, "I gotta- I gotta find her, bring her back."

Hershel shook his head as he looked at the worried father, "You can't do that-"

Rick looked at the elderly man as he snarled, "She's his mother! Her son is lying her shot, she needs to know!"

Hershel mentioned with his head to the boy that lay on the bed, "And he's gonna need more blood."

Rick grunted under his breath as he finally got up and stalked out of the room. Shane walked right after him while Evan turned to Hershel and gave him an apologetic look, "We're gonna take care of him."

She walked out to see Rick and Shane talking quietly, holding each other's heads, their foreheads pressed together. She grabbed her crossbow from the corner of the room and pulled back the weights, then she knocked an arrow into place, "I'm going for Lori. You're right, she needs to be here-"

"No!" Rick got up and made his way to Evan, grabbing her forearm as he looked deep into her eyes, blue meeting blue, "Please stay. I-I need you here. I need you."

Evan looked deep into Rick's eyes, seemingly getting lost in them for a while. So many emotions were written in them, desperation, hurt, Rick was sincere, he really needed Evan. So she nodded her head slowly, "Alright."

The door opened and Hershel walked out. He gave the three a nod before he spoke up, "He's out of danger for now, but I need to remove these remaining fragments."

Evan raised her eyebrow as she propped her crossbow against the wall, then she crossed her arms over her chest. "How? You saw how he was."

Hershel turned to look at her, "I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others." Rick ran a hand over his face as Hershel continued, "His belly is distended, his pressure's stopping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the blood vessels. I have to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. " He glanced Shane and Evan, "And he can't move while I'm in there. I mean, at all. If he reacts the same as before, I'll sever an artery and he'll be dead in minutes." His gaze was back on Rick who looked on the verge of tears, "To even try this, I have to put him under. But if I do, he won't be able to breathe on his own, same bad results."

Evan looked at Hershel as she raised an eyebrow, catching up on where he was going, "What will it take?"

Then Otis spoke up, "You need a respirator. What else?"

"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."

Rick stepped forward a bit as he asked, "If you had all that, you could save him?"

Hershel gave him a reassuring nod, "If I had all that, I could try."

Otis sighed as he shook his head, "Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago." Hershel gave him a look and a few moments later, Otis snapped his fingers, a look of realization on his face, "The high school."

Hershel nodded his head, "That's what I was thinking," he looked at Rick as he explained, "They set up a FEMA shelter there, they would have everything we need."

Otis continued, "Place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get anywhere near it... Maybe it's better now."

There was a moment of silence before Shane spoke up, looking at Rick, "I said leave the rest to me." He ignored both Evan and Rick who tried to talk him out of it as he nodded his head at Hershel, "Doc, why don't you do me a list, draw me a map."

"You won't need a map," said Otis as he nodded his head, "I will take you there. Ain't no but five miles."

Patricia started to protest, but Otis cut her off completely. Evan turned to Shane as she nodded her head, "You need back-up?"

Shane shook his head as he reached over and grabbed Evan's shoulder, "No, stay here and look after Rick. Don't leave him alone. I'm gonna be fine." Evan nodded and Shane pulled away.

Rick looked at Otis, gratitude clear on his features, "I should thank you-"

Otis nodded his head firmly as he spoke, "Wait 'till that boy of yours is up and around, then we'll talk." He turned to Shane, "I'll gather some things."

Maggie walked up and spoke up for the first time in a while, addressing Rick, "Where's your wife? I will find her." Once Rick gave her directions, Evan nodded her head, "Redneck, around forty, with dark blonde hair and blue eyes should be leading them, he's stubborn, ain't gonna let you anywhere near Lori. Tell him Evan Dixon sent you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, final announcement [for now] on whether Merle Dixon will live or not... I wrote down everything I wanted to do with this story, looked through every single option and guess what, he's going to live, at least up until the fourth season. Yay!


	10. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan thinks about the past, Daryl is nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! So far this one's got four kudos and I'm genuinely happy and grateful!

Season : two 

Evan sat on the steps in front of the house, smoking a cigarette she found in the hidden pocket of her angel vest. Daryl must have left it there last time he wore it. He never appreciated it whenever Evan smoked because she already had problems with her blood pressure, but she knew that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Lori ended up coming on the back of Maggie's horse. A few hours passed since then, it was getting really dark and Shane was nowhere to be seen. Evan hoped that he would come already, it didn't take her much to know that Carl didn't have much time left.

The sound of an engine lured Evan out of her trance and she snapped as she regained her focus. She saw headlights in the distance and soon, the vehicle came closer. Evan couldn't help but smile when she realized it was Glenn and T-Dog, that meant her group was okay. They were okay.

Glenn parked Carol's Cherokee and he was the first one to get out, T-Dog sat in the seat for a little bit longer. Evan met Glenn half-way and they shared a hug, the blonde held onto Glenn tightly before they pulled away, "My brother's okay?"

Glenn nodded as he gave Evan a smile, the young woman found herself returning it, "Yeah, he threw a tantrum though. If it wasn't for Carol, he would've been here already. He couldn't stand the fact that something happened and he wasn't by your side." They both chuckled but before he could continue, Glenn's eyes widened slightly, "Oh shit, T-Dog."

He made his way to the passenger side and helped Theodor out as he explained to Evan what happened, "When the herd came on the highway, T cut himself on a piece of metal. Your brother gave him Merle's pills, said they'd help."

She nodded and helped Glenn walk T-Dog to the house. Just as they reached the front door, Maggie opened it and she frowned at the sight of the newcomers, but then she realized they were Evan's group.

Evan and Glenn walked T-Dog over to a table in the living room, Maggie had already ran in there, that was why Patricia had prepared the tools she would need. She looked at T-Dog's wound while Glenn spoke up, "We gave him some antibiotics, we still have some of them, along with painkillers, Evan's brother gave them, their other brother..." He looked at Evan who snickered under her breath. The Asian mentioned to the bottled of pills, "Merle used to get the clap on occasion, some venereal disease." Evan tried her hardest to silence her wheezing while Glenn blushed, "About the pills, I already gave him some, the others are if Carl needs any."

Patricia chuckled as she prepared a needle, "Well, I'd say Merle Dixon's clap was the best thing to happen to you. "

In the meantime Maggie made dinner for the newcomers, she offered to make Evan something too, but the woman declined. Instead she walked outside and sat on one of the chairs on the porch. Before she walked out, she overheard Lori and Rick talking. It changed her opinion on Lori, whatever good she thought of that woman was gone. She genuinely thought if Carl died, it would be for the best. What type of a coward or a monster would you have to be in order to even think of something so cruel?

She remembered back in her teenage years, she was in a dark mental place for a while. She remembered how she would steal her father's cigarettes and burn her skin. Once Daryl was gone, she was alone at home. Her father was supposed to be at the "library" as he called it, which was actually the local pub. Well, her father walked in on her burning her forearm. That resulted in one of the worst beatings she ever got. Worst part of it all was that Daryl got home right in the middle of it. What was Evan's punishment? To watch Daryl get whipped with the buckle of her father's belt across his back while her own body was so sore from the beating she took previously, she couldn't move. She laid in the corner of the room as Daryl screamed in agony, his screams continued to haunt her dreams for years on end and sometimes, she would catch herself waking up on middle of the night, because of her brother's screams, even when both her and Daryl were grown-up. 

Something in Evan snapped that day and she was sure something snapped in Daryl too. The two promised each other to never give up, no matter how much it hurt, how much they wanted to. They wanted to prove Will Dixon he was wrong, they wanted to prove him that they weren't weak, not even close. They wanted to show their father that nothing could take them down.

Suddenly, Evan heard commotion from the house, Rick, Lori and Hershel's loud voices. Just as she got up and started making her way towards where the voices came from, she heard the sound of a truck. She quickly turned around and ran in the other direction, Rick, Lori, Hershel, Glenn, T-Dog and Maggie following.

The truck stopped not that way away from the front of the house and Shane got out, pulling two backpacks from the backseat, worry clear on his features, "Carl?"

Rick gave him a smile as Hershel took the backpacks fro Shane, then he looked behind the ex-policeman, looking inside the car, "Otis?"

Shane seemed frozen for a moment before he shook his head. Evan found herself taking a few steps back. It was clear that Otis didn't make it, but something about the entire situation made her feel uneasy.

Hershel took a deep breath before he spoke up in a firm voice, "We say nothing to Patricia. Not till after. I need her."

He disappeared into the house and after that everything just seem to go into a blur. Evan couldn't focus, she couldn't hear, couldn't do much at all. Slowly, everyone disappeared inside the house, leaving Evan alone on the steps. She found herself walking back up to the front porch and sitting down on the same chair as earlier, her crossbow by her feet. She felt like staying on the front porch until Daryl appeared.


	11. Cherokee Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Evan talk, find some roses, get emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherokee Rose is such a beautiful episode, I couldn't bring myself to change the title so here it is.

Season : two

Evan ended up falling asleep on the chair. She woke up a few times during the night, but what surprised her was that not a single walker stood within miles and miles on Hershel's land. When she woke up at one point during the night, she realized that a blanket was draped over her and she had a pillow under her head. She was almost sure Rick had asked for these things, she made a mental note to thank him later. 

She was just dozing off again, seemingly there was nothing better she could do early in the morning as it was maybe somewhere around seven, judging by the sun, however just as she started to fall asleep, she heard the sound of engines, one stood out the most. She could recognize it from anywhere.

Evan quickly got up and folded the blanket, looking over her shoulder from time to time and soon, her brother came into view, the RV trailing behind him slowly. The blonde couldn't help the smile that made it's way on her lips and she quickly started walking down the stairs of the front porch.

Daryl parked the chopper and didn't even kill the engine, he quickly jumped up from the seat and took a few quick strides, Evan met him halfway. The two embraced each other and Evan chuckled when Daryl lifted her up in his arms for a few seconds, she was holding onto him tightly and the fact that he was holding her with the same amount of strength, maybe even more tighter, made her at home.

The two finally pulled away and Daryl raised his eyebrows slightly in concern, "Ya good? What da hell happened yesterday? We were walkin' back to the highway and all of a sudden some chick on a horse appears outta nowhere like a Zorro, asking for Lori. Jus' as I opened my mouth ta protest she said that Evan Dixon sent ya and I was like, what?"

Evan laughed as her brother flayed his arms around while he explained their interesting adventure. She leaned in and kissed his forehead before she took a few steps back, "I will explain later. We have a few things we should discuss, now kill the engine finally."

Daryl nodded and elbowed his sister's side softly before he walked off, tending to the motorcycle. Evan looked up and realized that her group were setting up tents not that far away from the house, still on Hershel's land, Rick was talking to his people, telling them about Hershel and the situation they were in. Evan put two fingers in her mouth and whistled, getting Daryl's attention. She pointed to where the others were and she busted out laughing when he gave her a look and flipped her the bird. He started the motorcycle again and parked it not that far away from Dale's RV.

Evan started walking towards her group and she waved slightly in the way of greeting towards the others. Rick shook Daryl's hand before he gave Evan a nod, which she returned. He started talking and Evan was quick to move close to her brother's side, "Try to clean up a bit, as much as you can. Yesterday a guy, named Otis, the one who shot Carl... It was all an accident, he was actually a good man. He saved Carl's life, " He gestured towards Shane who shifted from one foot to another, "Both him and Shane did. Sadly, Otis didn't make it. We're going to gather, to honor him in a few minutes, close to a half hour."

Everyone nodded and did as told. Evan took the vest off her shoulders and gave it to Daryl, nodding her head, "There was a cigarette in there... Key word, was..." Her brother gave her a glare and she rolled her eyes as she bumped his hip with her own. Daryl rolled his eyes as put the vest on, fixing it on the shoulders. He looked at Evan's shirt for a few seconds before he frowned, "Is that ma flannel?" Evan rolled her eyes as she started walking away, following the rest of the group, "You mean our flannel. You're wearing our vest. We shared our ma's womb for nine months. Trust me, baby brother, when it comes to us, there's no mine or yours. Ours."

The funeral was depressing, but what could be expected from a funeral? Patricia's broken sobs and Hershel's heartfelt words slipped from one of Evan's ears and disappeared through the other. She just shut off for a bit, didn't want to deal with all that crap, not that early in the morning.

Shane told them a story. His voice broke a few times and everyone seemed grateful that he was okay. Daryl glanced at Evan, with that look in his eyes. He squinted his eyes slightly and she gave him a short nod, they both knew that something was wrong.

A few hours after the memorial, Rick, Shane, Daryl and Evan told Hershel about Sophia. Maggie walked over to where they stood near the hood of one of their cars and sprawled out a map, "County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations."

Daryl nodded in approval as he took a closer look, "This' perfect." Evan nodded as she leaned her elbow on Daryl's shoulder, "We can finally get this thing organized."

Rick gave a nod as he looked at Shane, Evan and Daryl, then he pointed at the map, "We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams." Hershel gave the blue-eyed man a look, the other three had the same look on their face, "Not you, not today." Rick sighed, but Evan quickly cut him off, "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat without passing out." Hershel nodded, agreeing with the younger female's prognosis before he looked at Shane, "And your ankle, push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody."

Evan and Daryl looked at each other and Evan shrugged, her elbow still on Daryl's shoulder, "Guess it's just-" before she could continue, Hershel spoke up, "While you were sleeping outside, Rick mentioned something about blood pressure, I want to measure it first before you even think of going out there in the heat."

Evan groaned as she gave Rick a look. Daryl reached up and slapped the back of Evan's neck, causing her to hiss and step back, "Don't ya give 'em attitude. I agree. Don't want ya passing out on me while a herd is comin'." He looked at the map again before he pointed to an area, "I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."

Rick nodded, then he turned his attention towards Shane who spoke up, "I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back." Rick nodded again as he stepped back from the vehicle, "Alright, tomorrow then."

Evan glanced at Andrea who had joined them while they were talking, she was standing right next to Maggie. Evan glanced at her brother and rolled her eyes, Daryl had to fight back a smirk as he listened to what Rick and the others were saying. They were discussing the use of guns and Shane looked damn close to throwing a tantrum, however everything was settled. They all put their guns on the hood of the car and once they decided they didn't have any other important thing to discuss, Evan wandered off, Daryl said he was going to set up their tent first and then they could take a walk.

Evan sat under a tree, watching her brother from a distance. Just as he passed the house, Rick stopped him. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she watched her brother's body language, he was getting defensive. Daryl shook his head as he turned around and walked away, heading in Evan's direction, Rick stood in the distance and watched him walk away. Once Daryl got close, Evan got up and the two disappeared into the woods.

They walked for a while, their crossbows in their hands. They weren't even tracking Sophia, just walking around, trying to stretch their legs. Daryl looked at Evan as they walked, "You didn't let Hershel-" The slightly older of the two sighed as she cut off her brother, "Daryl, I'm fine. Look, we need to talk." She glanced at her brother as she continued, "I will help with tracking Sophia down. I will. However, I will focus on looking for Merle. I have to."

Daryl seemed to tense up slightly. He let out a sigh as he let his shoulders slump, then he nodded, "I hate ya going anywhere near Atlanta alone, but okay. I getcha."

They rounded around some bushes and Evan was first to raise her crossbow. They came across a house, two storey, in the far part of some clearing, a few bushes were right in front of the facility. The twins shared a look and nodded, Evan started leading towards the house, Daryl was right behind her, his crossbow ready. The two entered the house and didn't find anything out of the ordinary, until they reached the kitchen. Someone was clearly in the house, or at least they used to be that same day, there was a pantry and under some shelves, laid a pillow and a blanket, Daryl also found a bunch of cans of tuna, they were eaten recently.

Daryl and Evan quickly got out and Daryl was the first one to call out, Evan following, "Sophia!"

Nothing. Evan sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. Her brother stared into one of the bushes. Evan raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze. Her expression softened when she saw the fragile, small flower. Daryl grabbed an empty beer bottle that was laying on the ground in front of the house before he looked at his sister, "Can we make a short stop at the highway? We cleaned up an RV for Sophia... Jus' in case she goes back there on 'er own."

Evan looked at Daryl for a few seconds, before she nodded. Daryl nodded back and slowly started making his way towards the Cherokee Roses. He fell on his knees, caressing the white petals softly, before he cut one around the base with his knife, putting the flower in the bottle. He sat there for a while, motionless, deep in thought. Evan cleared her throat before she spoke up, "Hey." Daryl looked over his shoulder, "We will find them. I know we will." She walked forward and stopped right behind Daryl. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Evan paused for a few moments before she spoke up, "If something ever happened to you, I would cry a worth of one hundred fields, brother. You know that, right?"

Daryl got up and turned to face his sister. Without saying a word, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in a hug. Evan of course returned the embrace and hid her face in her brother's shoulder.

Evan stood in front of the small RV, playing with the head of one of her bolts. She listened to Daryl's soothing voice that was seeping from the open window. He was talking to Carol, telling her the story of the Cherokee Rose. A dull ache appeared somewhere in her heart, along with a broken smile when she heard what Daryl said next, "I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers, bloomin' for my brother... But I believe, this one... Bloomed for your little girl." Footsteps appeared as he walked the short distance to the door. He paused, then his voice appeared again, "She's gonna really like it 'ere..."

With that he stepped off the RV, closing the door behind his back. Evan and Daryl started walking back to the highway and Evan couldn't help but smile whenever her eyes landed on her brother. He glanced at her and returned the smile, "I love ya, Eve. I wouldn't ever let anythin' happen to ya..." He glanced at the ground before he looked back at his sister, his smile making his face light up with a childish glow, "But if somethin' ever happened to ya, there would be a lot of flowers bloomin'."


	12. Every Bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan goes looking for Merle, finds out Andrea almost killed her brother, it's an emotional chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update today, two more days until The Walking Dead [where I live it's going to be released on Monday] and I'm so exciteeeeed!

Season: two

"Alright, so I got a closer look at the map, memorized most of the road routines, I have a few places I think are worth checking." Evan finished the rest of her sandwich and licked her fingers before she continued, pointing at the map, "We all need fuel so I circled the places that have some, I'm gonna bring some back, I'm gonna leave the rest for later, I'm taking the chopper and I wouldn't be able to carry much."

Daryl raised his eyebrow as he scratched the stubble that was growing on his chin, "Why don'tcha take a car? 'S better."

Evan shook her head as she grabbed her crossbow and slung it over her shoulder once she was content with the number of bolts she had, "Nah, some of the routines aren't made for a car, plus if there's a roadblock-"

"If there's a roadblock you turn around and come back here." The twins looked at Rick who walked up to them, seemingly he overheard their conversation, "I ain't happy with the fact you're going to Atlanta on your own, but I, myself, was looking for my family. I understand exactly how you feel. However, be safe out there and make sure you return before sunset, if you're late we're gonna send someone to check."

Evan glanced at her brother and he returned her gaze lazily before he spoke up, "Rick's right, y'know." Evan sighed as she looked at the two men before she nodded, "Fine." She turned to her brother as she put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm leaving earlier than planned, then. I have to be back before sunset."

She pulled her brother into a hug then shook Rick's hand. She walked off, towards the chopper and she looked over her shoulder when she heard a whistle. Her brother nodded his head as he spoke up, "Be safe."

Evan nodded her head as she started the motorcycle, the machine roaring to life, "You too."

Without looking back, she sped off. Daryl stood there for a while, leaning his back against the side of the car as he watched his sister disappear from eyesight, soon enough the sound of the triumph disappeared as well. Rick turned to look at him before he spoke up, "She's a tough one, Daryl-"

"Ain't need no lectures." Daryl stopped himself and he sighed before he looked at Rick, glancing at the ground a few times, "I know. Still can't help but be worried, tho. Ya understand, probably."

Rick nodded his head and turned his attention to the ones that had circled the car, waiting for any instructions or any further explanations of the plan.

Evan's plan was going okay, by okay it meant that she was still alive and no herds or anything got close to her. She did come across a few stray ones, but that didn't stop her, she was way too fast for them to reach, she had nothing to worry about.

-

The sound of the motorcycle echoed off of Hershel's property and Rick was quick to walk out. He raised a hand, blocking the sun from his view as he looked around, trying to see where the noise came from.

Then he finally saw her, Evan, the chopper rolling slowly underneath her slumped body, her head was leaned against one of her arms. Rick cursed under his breath as he quickly walked over to where their camp was, going into a full-on sprint as Evan parked the motorcycle and almost fell from it like a sack of potatoes, Rick quickly caught her and took the heavy backpack off her back. Evan gave him a lazy smile as she gestured towards the backpack with her head, "Two tanks of fuel, fucked up my back, but it was worth it."

The second she finished her sentence, she fell limp against Rick's arms. He cursed under his breath and he had to be honest, it was more because he was scared of what Daryl was going to do once he saw his sister like that. He noticed one of her sleeves was covered in blood, it was fresh.

Rick quickly grabbed Evan in his arms and took off running in the direction of the house. He made his way to one of the bedrooms and laid her on the bed. He tried his hardest to calm down as he made his way towards the bedroom that was currently occupied by Daryl. He knocked on the door and opened it, his prayers seemed to be heard because Daryl was fast asleep, blanket tucked in under his chin. He looked at Hershel as he flattened his mouth a bit and Hershel sighed, checking the bandage on Daryl's head one last time before he walked out of the room, following Rick.

The two walked into the room Evan was in and Hershel sighed as he ran his hand over his face, "It has to run in the family or something. Good thing the drugs knocked her brother out cold, we would be dead by now." He walked closer to the bed and started checking out the woman's vitals, "Tell me what happened."

Just as he stopped talking, Evan's eyes started to open slightly and she yawned, "What's up y'all?" She noticed Hershel, standing at the foot of the bed and she waved, "Hey, doc. I need some stitches, think ya could be a champ and help?" She raised an eyebrow when both the elderly man and Rick stared at her as if she went completely bonkers.

Rick gulped when she got up and pulled off her flannel, leaving her in her tank-top, revealing a huge gash on her right biceps, "But, you passed out?" Evan rolled her eyes as she sat down while Hershel silently collected the things he needed to stitch her up, "I made it home in one piece, saw you, I just decided to close my eyes for a bit."

Hershel started stitching her up and he finally asked, "Could you be a champ and tells us what in the heavens happened out there? Sure, this is the only cut that needs stitches, however you have fresh bruises all over yourself."

Evan nodded as she smiled at him, not phased by the huge needle going in and out of her skin, "Sure thing." She looked at Rick as she chuckled, shaking her head, "Trust me y'all, choppers aren't made for off-road." Rick visibly paled as she continued, "Came across a herd, quite a bunch of these motherfuckers." She grunted in pain for the first time, Hershel must've pulled harder, "I had to drive the chopper off the road, fell off a hill, got back up, thankfully Merle's baby was still in one piece so I got up and took off."

Hershel finished up and wrapped her biceps in some bandage, "Are you sure these are your only injuries?" Evan nodded her head as she looked down at the bandage, "Yep, thank you. It's appreciated."

Hershel glanced at Rick, then he gave Evan a nod and disappeared through the door. Evan walked over to the corner of the room where her crossbow was thrown carelessly, then she glanced at Rick, "Is Daryl back? He would kick my ass if he saw the bandage..." She trailed off as she saw the look on Rick's face. She stood up to her full height as she slowly took a few steps forward, "What, did you cuff him to a roof or somethin'?"

Rick shook his head as he glanced at the floor before he took a deep breath and looked Evan straight in the eyes, "No. Instead, he fell off a cliff, ended up getting one of his arrows-", "Bolts." Rick sighed as he nodded, "Bolts in his hip. He made it back... Covered in blood and wearing walker ears around his neck like a necklace. Andrea was on the RV, on watch... She thought he was a walker, so she fired, it ended up just grazing him tho-"

"Is he alive?" Evan's eyes were cold and slightly glossed over. Her voice was harsh and Rick felt his breath hitch in his throat as she stared deep into his eyes. He decided he found her more threatening than her brother. Rick couldn't speak for a while, instead, he simply nodded his head. Evan nodded her head while she was knocking a bolt into place, "Good. Andrea wouldn't be for much longer."

Before Rick could even try to stop her, she was already running down the hall, on her way out of the house. He ran after her, screaming her name over and over again, he knew she wasn't kidding. He saw her getting closer to the camp and he picked up his pace, "Shane!" His partner realized what was about to happen and he started running towards Evan, she simply threw her entire crossbow at him, which was enough to occupy his attention, he had to be careful how he caught it because he could end up getting a bolt to the throat.

Evan pushed T-Dog to the side and punched Andrea as hard as she could, throwing the woman on the ground. Just as Evan straddled the blonde and laid a couple more punches on her, both Shane and Rick grabbed her and pulled her off the other woman, Lori quickly fell to her knees, stroking Andrea's sore face. Evan thrashed in the men's arms as she screamed, "You bitch! You almost killed my brother!" She screamed out as she pried herself from Shane's arms, shooting a glare at Rick who stood in front of her, ready to stop her if she tried anything. She grunted before she shouted, gesturing with her hand towards the others, "To hell with y'all!" With that she turned on her heel and ran towards the house, stopping just so she could grab her crossbow.

She took a deep breath as she opened her brother's door slowly. He looked to be asleep, on his side with the blanket tucked underneath his chin, he was holding some of it close to his chest, too... Then Evan realized his back wasn't covered. She raised a hand to cover the single, silent sob that made its way up her throat. The scars, old and somewhat faded reminded her of what they both had to go through.

Evan quickly wiped away the tears that escaped from her eyes as her brother stirred a bit. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes half-way open. Evan smiled, hoping Daryl couldn't see her chin was trembling, "Hey, babe. Scoot over." She walked over to the other side of the bed and kicked off her boots, putting her crossbow under the bed. She laid down and covered both her and her brother with the blanket properly, he was quick to scoot closer and use her shoulder as a pillow.

However, he tensed and he pulled away slowly, his eyes fully opened. He looked at the bandage on his sister's biceps, fright immediately filled his eyes as they looked over all of the other bruises, scratches, and cuts. He quickly scooted back as he looked at his sister, his voice was soft, "Eve, what the hell happened?"

Evan was quick to sit up a bit, then she ran her fingers through Daryl's short hair, being careful with the bandage, "Hey, hey, I'm okay! I'm okay." She looked at the bandage as tears threatened to fall, "I'm so-so happy you're okay." She smiled as she felt her bottom lip tremble, she put her hand on the back of Daryl's head and kissed his forehead a few times, ignoring the tears that managed to slip. Daryl quickly changed their positions, he held Evan in his arms, running his fingers through her hair, his eyes scanning over her new injuries, "'m okay, Eve. Yer okay too, we both are. Everything is okay."

The two laid like that for a while, just holding onto each other as tightly as possible. Daryl kissed the top of his sister's head before he spoke up, "I saw Merle today." Evan started to pull away, but Daryl held her tighter as he continued, "Hallucination. Wasn't real. It happened right when I fell down the cliff, was in some creek, bleeding out. He came up to me, being the typical Merle... He mentioned somethin' about me losing you as well, told him ta go fuck himself. He told me you're dyin' as we're speaking, said 's all on me."

"Hey." Evan looked up at her brother from her position with her head on his shoulder, "That wasn't real. I didn't die. You didn't die..." She chuckled as she shook her head, "Andrea got lucky, otherwise-" She started to snicker, her brother caught on and started to chuckle as well while his sister continued, "Gave her a black eye and a busted lip, Shane and Rick had to pry me off of her." Daryl threw his head back as he laughed along with his sister, the sound of his precious and rare laughter only made her laugh more, "Oh, I'm sure it was a sigh to see!"

The twins ended up laying in bed for the remainder of the day, doing absolutely nothing, aside from talking. Just as Evan started getting up from the bed, because Daryl kicked her out, sending her to fetch something for dinner, there was a knock on the door. The two shared a look and Evan opened it to reveal no other but Carol. The small woman smiled at Evan as she mentioned to the tray in her hands, "May I?" Evan nodded as she stepped aside, allowing the woman to walk inside.

Carol put the tray on the nightstand, Evan walked over to the bed and sat down where she used to lay a few minutes ago. Carol stood up to her full height and smiled softly at the two, "How are you two feeling?" Daryl scoffed as he shrugged, muttering, "As good as we look." which earned him a slap on the shoulder by Evan. The slightly older woman giggled as she looked at the siblings interacting as if they were small kids, then she gestured to the tray on the nightstand, "I brought you some dinner. You must be starving." 

There was a pause before she leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Daryl's head. The man flinched, which broke Evan's heart, but she quickly ushered the thoughts of their childhood to the very back of her mind. Her brother quickly put his tough act back on, "Watch out, I got stitches." 

Carol straightened up as she spoke up in a quiet voice, "You need to know something. You did more for my little girl today than her own daddy ever did in his whole life."

Daryl shrugged as he got more comfortable under the covers, readjusting the pillow under his head, "I didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done." Carol nodded her head as she looked down at him, "I know. You're every bit as good as them. Every bit." She looked at Evan as she nodded her head, "You too. Both of you."

Carol walked over to the door and opened it. Before she left though, she turned to face Evan and winked, a smirk curled at the corner of her lips, "I myself wanted to do what you did. Thank you." With that she closed the door behind her back, leaving the two alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently working on a NEW story to put on here [which means I'm currently writing four stories at the same time, yay], but y'all ain't gonna get it until we reach season six. It's going to be another TWD one.


	13. Around The Campfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan goes hunting, thinks about life, nothing much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is the day!!!!! Are y'all excited for the 10B premiere, 'cause I am!

Season: two

Daryl and Evan were told to stay on possible bed rest for the next few days. Daryl was moved back to the tent he shared with his sister and Hershel saw no problem with her walking around and doing her usual activities, as long as she didn't ride through any more herds and hills for at least two weeks.

Evan sat next to her brother, sharpening her knife against the back of the plate her breakfast used to be on. Daryl laid on his back, propped up against a few pillows as he played with one of his bolts, his thumb hovered over the edge. He sighed as he stabbed the side of the tent a few times, bored out of his mind. Evan glanced at him as she spoke up, "Are you hungry? I can go make you a sandwich or something." Daryl glanced at her as he nodded his head almost shyly and she smiled at him. She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on the top of his head before she tucked her knife back in its place in her belt, then she crawled out and started making her way to the house.

Evan made Daryl a sandwich with two slices of bread, tomato, cucumber slices, a little bit of chicken left-over from last night's dinner and lettuce. She knew exactly what he liked. She made her way back to the camp, the grip on the sandwich tightened slightly in anger when she saw Andrea, talking to Daryl. She raised an eyebrow and whistled, catching the woman's attention. Andrea stood up to her full height and the two ended up having a small stare-down. Like expected, Andrea sported a very visible black eye and a cut on her bottom lip, Evan felt the need to decorate her face further, but she knew no good could come out of it. She mentioned with her head, silently telling the other blonde to step away from the tent and she was satisfied when Andrea did as told.

Evan got inside the tent and sat down in her previous place, giving her brother the chicken sandwich, "What did the bitch want?" Daryl chuckled as he bit right into the delicious food in his hands before he replied, still chewing, "Came ta apologize. Simply told her that if she's gonna shoot me again, she best pray I'm dead." Evan chuckled as she grabbed her brother's knife and started sharpening it as well, "If she shoots you again, she best pray she's dead."

Daryl chuckled as he put the last piece of bread in his mouth, chewing on it slowly. Evan raised an eyebrow as she hummed disapprovingly, "Damn brother, you devoured that thing." She busted out laughing as Daryl glared at her, hurt written all over his features. He finally allowed himself to smile, laughing right along with his sister. He grabbed the extra pillow from under his head and hit Evan's head as he laughed, "Yer such an asshole!"

The laughter died down a bit after a while and the two ended up just looking at each other, lazy smiles on their almost identical faces. Daryl yawned as he laid back, getting comfortable under the blanket, Evan reached over and fixed the pillow under his head, "Take a nap, you need rest." She leaned over and grabbed the vest that was folded neatly in the corner of the tent, "I'm gonna go on a walk." 

Daryl raised an eyebrow as he yawned again, covering his mouth with a fist, "Ya ain't gonna look for Merle, are ya?" Evan shook her head as she grabbed her crossbow, holding it on her lap, "Nah, I'm just gonna look behind some bushes for Sophia. You found her doll, that cuts the perimeter down with almost over a half. Maybe I could find something today." Daryl sighed as he glanced at the blanket that was covering him before he looked back at Evan, however, she cut him off before he could protest, "You almost died yesterday, the fall could've killed you. But it didn't. You got lucky. Don't try your luck." She gave him a small smile as she grabbed his hand, squeezing it, "I promise I will return before the sun goes down, just in time for dinner. And if I don't, which is unlikely, but if I don't, you can send someone to come after me, you can't track me down, because if you try to, I will kick your ass, okay?"

Daryl chuckled as he nodded his head, looking up at Evan, "Okay. Jus' be careful, yea?"

Evan kissed her brother's forehead, then she crawled out of the tent. She stretched as she looked around, Carol was doing simple chores like cleaning around and cooking something for everyone, Shane was nowhere to be seen, most of their group was nowhere in sight, which reminded Evan that Rick and Shane were supposed to teach the farmers how to shoot. She sighed when she realized she was going to be completely alone, but she didn't waste any time, instead, she simply knocked a bolt into place and headed towards the woods. She decided to go on foot, she didn't trust Hershel's horses after what happened with her brother.

Evan didn't seem to have luck. Well, at least not with tracking down Sophia. However, she ended up tracking down a buck, big and healthy, enough to feed everyone. She was sure Lori and Carol would have no problem with cooking a deer stew. So she threw the carcass over her shoulders and started heading home, humming a tune under her breath. Huh, home. How weird. For all she knew Hershel could snap any day and kick them out, they didn't have a home. 

But then Daryl appeared in her mind and she realized she was wrong. She had a home. Daryl was her home. They had a home when they lived in that small barn, they had a home when they lived in the truck while they were taking care of Merle's business, they had a home back at the camp, they even had a home in the farm, because no matter what, they were together. 

By the time she returned, everyone else was back at the camp as well. Carol and Lori rolled their sleeves and started preparing the stew, which turned out more than alright. They all sat around a fire, talking, sharing stories of the world before, the Dixon's didn't have much to share. Then, while everyone was too busy in their own conversations, Evan turned to Daryl and told him what was on her mind. He smiled softly as she scooted closer and he wrapped an arm around her waist, ignoring the soft smiles almost everyone around them had on their faces. Daryl and Evan were badasses, what the others saw was just an illusion. At least that was what Daryl told himself as he kissed the side of Evan's head before he leaned his cheek against her shoulder.


	14. Twenty-One Guns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finds Sophia, but she's pretty much dead already...

Season: two

"Good morning, rise and shine-" "Leave me ta hell alone 'fore I grab a bolt and shove-" "Woah, brother! Take a chill pill!"

Evan chuckled as she pulled the covers off Daryl and he let out a sound between a whimper and a grunt, first it came out as a whimper, but then he quickly remembered he was supposed to be a badass, so he grunted. Evan snorted as she crouched down, "Come on, there's breakfast. You should get up now or else little Shane is going to eat it-" Daryl turned so he was laying on his stomach and he buried his face into the pillow before he started laughing, covering his head with his hands. Evan leaned her forehead against her brother's back as she laughed right along with him, gripping the back of his shirt in her hands. Both of them found the news Evan had overheard the other day quite amusing.

The two finally calmed down and Daryl sighed as he shrugged Evan off, then he turned on his back. He frowned when he saw his sister's long, blonde locks, "Maybe ya should cut yer hair, it's getting in the way." Daryl sighed when he saw Evan's face drop. He reached over and grabbed her chin gently, making her look at him, "Hey, he ain't here. That girls have long hair, boys have short hair crap, it no longer matters." He chuckled as he caressed her cheek, "It's the end of the fucking world, sunshine. What our pa taught us no longer matters, alright?"

After their short but emotional moment, the twins joined the others for breakfast. It wasn't anything special, just some scrambled eggs, some decided to eat the leftover of the deer stew with some vegetables for added flavor. Evan sat on the ground by her brother's feet, there weren't any free chairs and she didn't really complain, Daryl's legs made a comfortable backrest. The group enjoyed their meal in silence until Glenn stepped up and nervously cleared his throat, "Um, guys... The barn is full of walkers."

Everything happened so fast after that. Everyone ran towards the barn, anxious to see if the news were true, Evan even took her crossbow for good measure. Shane looked through the gap in the door and he quickly stepped back as one of the monsters lunged at him, attracting the others, which caused an entire choir of moans and groans to erupt as the chains that held the door rattled. 

Shane scratched the top of his head as he turned to Rick, his tone harsh and cold, "You cannot tell me you're alright with this!" Rick was quick to reply, "No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land-" "This is our lives!" Evan ignored the fact that she flinched when Shane turned around, screaming at the top of his lungs. Something was definitely different, this wasn't Shane, not the Shane they knew.

Andrea of course chimed in while Daryl kept quiet for the time being, his eyes drifting from the barn and back to his sister that stood beside him, she was gripping her crossbow to a point where her knuckles turned white. The blue-eyed mad turned his attention back to Shane, "Now, we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time-" Rick cut him off, "We can't go-" "Why, Rick, why?" Carol stepped up, her tone firm, even if her body language showed visible fear from the man, "Because my daughter is still out there."

Evan's glare turned stone cold when Shane laughed as he ran a hand over his face before he put his hands together, "Okay... Okay, I think that it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility." "Shane, we are not leaving Sophia behind."

Evan's attention turned to her brother when he spoke up and stepped in front of her, closer to Shane, "I'm close to finding the little girl, I just found her damn doll two days ago-" Evan stepped right next to her brother as Shane stepped closer, hatred lacing his every single word like venom, "You found her doll, Daryl! That's what you did." Daryl's eyes darkened as he got closer, Evan put a hand on his shoulder and he simply shrugged it off, "Ya don't know what the hell yer talking about!" Rick stepped between the two as they started shouting at each other, ready to attack any second. Daryl was actually just standing his ground while Shane was the one with the big mouth. What Shane said next made Evan's blood boil, "Let me tell you something else, man! If she was alive and she saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife, with walker ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction-" Evan's fist met his jaw faster than Rick could react and Shane swung his fist at the woman, hitting her square in the nose without even thinking twice, which lit a fire in Daryl's veins and he started going at the man while Rick and T-Dog tried to hold the Dixon's back.

Daryl and Evan stepped back as Lori pushed Shane away, helping Rick separate the three, Evan ignored the blood that fell from her nose and tickled down, dripping over her mouth and chin. The siblings stayed back for the reminder of the argument, Evan threw her hands in disbelief when Dale said he knew about the barn. Shane started shouting again and Rick cut him off, clearly fed up. All of the commotion caused the barn's door to rattle yet again, swinging back and forth furiously. 

A little bit later, Evan sat under a tree on Hershel's land, waiting for her brother who was in the stable, preparing a horse for the road. She didn't want her brother to go out there just two days after he almost died, he was still recovering, however since she couldn't change his mind, she decided to join him. The blonde beauty looked up from the bolt she was playing around with when she saw Carol walk right past her and into the stable. She couldn't help but listen in to their conversation, "You can't." "I'm fine." 'Hershel said you need to heal-" "I don't care-" "Well, I do." "Yea, well, I ain't gonna sit and do nothing." "No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse." There was a pause before Carol spoke up again, "We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl." Evan cursed under her breath as she got up, things were about to get ugly. She jogged to the entrance of the stable when she heard her brother let out a loud grunt in pain, she slowed down when she saw Daryl hunched over and Carol standing right next to him. He shrugged off the slightly older woman's hands as he walked off, a colorful combination of curse words left his mouth. He walked past Evan and didn't even slow down, he quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her along.

They stopped once they were far away from the camp, by a part of the creek they hadn't explored. Daryl let go of his sister's hand and plopped himself down in a sitting position before he fell to his back and covered his face with his hands. He sighed as he ran his hands over his face while Evan put her crossbow down, then she sat down next to him, putting a comforting hand on his knee. Daryl turned his head to the side as he looked at Evan, "I can't believe it. Carol gave up. They brainwashed her too." He sighed as he looked into the sky, his eyes scanning the clouds as if looking for answers. Evan sighed as she gave Daryl's knee a squeeze, "She just needs reassurance. We are going to find Sophia, I know that, we're close." Daryl just mumbled something incoherent under his breath, completely defeated. He sighed as he closed his eyes before he spoke up again, "I was such an asshole." Evan laid next to him, looking at the passing clouds. She snapped her fingers as an idea crossed her mind and she quickly moved into a sitting position, "I know! You've never taken her tracking with ya, right?" Daryl shook his head as he opened his eyes, Evan continued, "You should do just that! Y'know, maybe if she herself sees that the trail hasn't went cold, she would have more hope." The blue-eyed man hummed as he thought about it. He got into a sitting position before he pulled his sister up with him, then he gave her a quick hug, "You're a genius, ya know that, right?"

It took the two quite some time to get back to the camp. The two split into different directions, Daryl went to find Carol while Evan walked over to where Andrea and Rick were standing by one of the cars, Hershel stood right next to them. Evan stopped in her tracks when she saw Andrea heading her way while Rick disappeared somewhere with Hershel. The other blonde stopped walking when Evan spoke up, "What's up, aren't we supposed to go look for Sophia?" Andrea shrugged as she put her hands in the pockets of her pants, "Hershel said he needed to talk to Rick or something. We're still gonna go, but in a couple hours. Can you come over to the barn and tell me when we're going, I'm going to be there." Once Evan agreed, the two walked off in two different directions. 

Evan lost count of the amount of knives she sharpened, she was even able to make a dozen new bolts from scratch. She sat on the stairs of the house, observing what the others were doing. Shane and Dale were gone, Andrea was slowly making her way back from the barn, Glenn and Maggie were sucking each other's faces like horny teenagers while daddy was nowhere to be seen. 

She looked up from the bolt in her hands when Andrea stopped right in front of her, "Where's everyone? They're not back yet." Evan shook her head as she glanced behind Andrea to see Daryl and Carol making their way towards the two, Lori and Carl walked out of the house. Daryl grunted in frustration as he looked around at everyone, "What the hell? Rick told us he was going out," he scoffed as he gestured with his hand, "Isn't anybody taking this seriously? We got us a damn trail!" He turned around and sighed, Evan looked behind her brother to see Shane making his way over to them, carrying the bag with guns. She sighed as she got up, crossing her arms over her chest, "Oh here we go."

Shane reached Daryl, unzipping the bag while the redneck asked him, "What's all this?" Shane pulled out a shotgun as he pushed it in Daryl's hands, he threw Evan a handgun, "You with me?" The siblings shared a look, Evan raised her eyebrows slightly and Daryl nodded his head, they were in. 

The others tried to protest, creating an unnecessary scene. Evan moved to stay closer to Daryl who took a step to stand next to her as the two observed the outburst of the others. Evan sighed as she glanced behind herself before she looked back at Shane and Lori who were arguing, however, her eyes widened and she turned back around. Without even thinking twice, she took off, which got the attention of the others as well. 

Shane was the first one to shout as he caught up to the ex sheriff's deputy who was struggling to hold back a walker, "What the hell is this?!" Rick groaned as he pulled on the walker's snare pole, trying to hold it as far away from his partner as possible, "Shane, back off!" The two completely ignored Hershel, Shane took down the walker Rick was holding, causing Rick to step back. Shane turned his attention to Hershel who still struggled with the walker, "Hey, Hershel, man, let me ask you something," he aimed at the walker and fired, "That's three rounds in the chest! Could a living, breathing person, could they just that that?!" He fired again, "Why is it still coming?! That's its heart, its lungs!" Rick groaned as he stepped forward, "Shane, enough!" Shane chuckled as he stepped closer to Hershel, "Yeah, you're right, that is enough!" He aimed at the walker's head and fired, the body fell limp to the ground, Hershel fell to his knees in pure disbelief.

Shane turned to face everyone as he groaned, his voice getting louder and louder, "Enough risking our life for a girl that is gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us!" The barn's doors rattled and Daryl pulled Evan behind himself protectively, she hadn't realized that she was shaking with fear, not because of the walkers, but from the state Shane was in. The ex policeman continued, "Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it!" His breath was labored as he started making his way to the barn.

Evan's breath got caught in her throat and everything was spinning. Daryl continued to shift, his gunshot was clutched in his hand tightly as he raised it, ready to take down every single walker that got out. And soon enough, they started coming, snarling, hungry for fresh meat. Something in Evan's snapped, she pulled the safety off and stepped up next to her brother, shooting right along with him. She didn't have an excuse to let her past get to her, if Daryl could push through, then so could she. The others started firing as they stood close to the siblings, taking down the undead. 

Everything was quiet for a second. Evan ran a hand through her hair as she took deep breaths ad turned to look at her brother who was already looking at her, emotions written all over his face, she knew the walkers weren't the reason. Just as she reached a hand to squeeze her brother's shoulder, they heard a growl from the inside. Evan pushed her brother behind her and she raised her gun, taking aim. 

Evan's blood ran cold.

Sophia, the little girl everyone was looking for, stepped out of the barn, a visible bite on her left shoulder. Her eyes were no longer that inviting warm combination of green and blue, instead it was a cold, yellowish grey, a color that would hunt Evan's dreams forever. She heard Carol call out her daughter's name, Evan glanced over her shoulder to see Carol running towards the barn. Daryl dropped his empty shotgun and wrapped his arms around Carol, which caused both of them to fall to their knees. Evan stood in front of hem as she kept a loose hold of her gun. She couldn't believe it. Sophia was long gone. 

Evan didn't find it in herself to shoot, she couldn't. She raised her gun and lowered it right after as she felt a tear slip out of her eye and trail down her cheek. She felt a a hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breath, stepping back and allowing Rick to step closer. The ex sheriff raised his gun as little Sophia growled and snarled as she stepped closer and closer. She pressed her forehead against the barrel of Rick's revolver. 

Then he pulled the trigger.


	15. Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Daryl decide to leave with Merle.

"Evan? Ya in here, baby sister?"

Evan raised an eyebrow as she looked behind her shoulder, "In here, Merle." She turned the water off and dried her hands with a towel as Merle walked into the kitchenette. He crossed his arms over his chest as he looked Evan up and down, worry covered his features like a haze, "What the hell happened with ya?" The blonde shrugged as she worried with her lip, puling dead skin with her teeth, "Got in a fight at work, nothing much." She leaned her back against the counter as she crossed her arms over her chest, "You're back? I thought that you were in Texas." Merle sighed as he glanced at the ground, before he asked, "Where is Daryl? I need ta talk with ya both." 

As if on cue, they both heard the front door open, "Eve, turn on the gas stove, I got us a nice buck!" Daryl dropped his crossbow and his eyes hardened slightly when he noticed who came back, "Oh, yer here." He dropped the dead animal to the floor before he wiped his palms over his pants, "How is uncle Jess doing, huh?" Merle's face hardened for a slight second before it fell, his eyes widening slightly. Daryl sighed as he looked at the dead animal at his feet, "Got into at fight at work," He glanced at Evan, "She stepped in and helped me finish off the bastard."

Merle sighed as he ran a hand over his face. He looked around before he glanced at Evan, "Where's the pig?" She sighed as she wrapped her arms over herself, "In the office, his hunter friends are throwing a meeting for the end of the season. Why?" Merle nodded his head as he walked towards one of the closets and opened it, then he pulled out two duffel bags, throwing one at Evan and one at Daryl, "That's good. Y'all, put anything that you find useful in there, we're leaving today." Evan raised an eyebrow as Merle grabbed one, along with a hammer, then he walked over to the corner of the room and started pulling out the nails from the wooden floor, "What are you doing?" Merle paused as he looked at his sister, then at his brother before he grabbed the now loose wooden board and pulled it out with bare hands, revealing their father's hidden stashes of green, "We're leaving, right now."

Merle started shoving the money in the duffel bag. He paused and leaned on his legs as he sighed, neither Daryl nor Evan were moving. He ran a hand over his face before he spoke up, anger clear in his voice, "Y'all are twenty-three and ya still live with the pig that raised us, because he tells ya ya can't do anything without his help!" He got to his feet before as she pointed at himself, "But actually, that's the case with me! Ain't nobody ever gonna care for ya both except me, ain't nobody ever gonna be yer family except me, I am yer blood and blood means life!" He gestured with his hand towards the twins, "Ya better try and do somethin' about your lives while ya've got them." His face broke into a grin, "I've got us a deal, we're gonna get tons of cash if we do our job properly, but it's gotta be the three of us." He looked at Evan as he spoke in a voice, softer than before, "Listen to yer old brother, Eve."

The blonde looked between Daryl who still stood near the entrance of the trailer and Merle. She sighed as she opened the duffel bag and turned around, shoving whatever she found useful in it, leaving her father with nothing. Shuffling followed from behind her which meant that her brothers got to work as well. They had to be fast, they didn't know when their father would be back and it would be kind of hard to explain why and how his three kids were robbing their own house.

Shoving the duffel bags in the back of the truck, along with every single weapon that was in the house, Evan agreed to follow their brother. Merle straddled his chopper and took off, Evan was in the driver's seat and Daryl sat on the passenger seat next to her as they sped off, leaving the house they grew up in behind. 

Daryl sighed as he glanced at his sister, "Ya think we did the right thing?" Evan was quiet for a while, but she nodded, "We did." She glanced at her brother as she nodded again, "Merle was right. We shouldn't let our fear cloud our mind, we shouldn't let our fear control it, we are much more than what our dad said we are." She shifted the gear before she continued, "Ya damn well know that the bruises we both carry right now, they aren't from some fight at work. They are from him, he hit me first, you stood up for me and that resulted in you getting tied-up and receiving one of the worst beatings we've had in years." Evan glanced at Daryl who was looking out the window, "I don't think I could go on any longer if we stayed back. But lemme tell ya something, we shouldn't tell Merle, else he would track our father down and kill him, it would only end up badly for Merle, he just got out of prison, we can't have him get back, not for murder."

They were quiet for quite some time after that. One thing they didn't know was that no long after they took off, Will Dixon died in the pub, leant against a wall with a sweaty hand clutching the left side of his chest. People tried to get a hold of Daryl, Evan and Merle but they all left their phones behind in the trailer. A funeral was held a few days later, not even five people came, the same people he ended up spending his last days with pretended that Will never was a part of their lives to begin with.

Will Dixon wasn't going to be missed. Not by his friends, not by his half-brother and most certainly, not by his three children.


	16. The Most Frightened Dogs Bark The Loudest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl fears he might turn into his father, it's emotional.

Season : two

Evan felt emotionally drained. There was not a single drop of energy in her. 

They buried Sophia, Carol wasn't there. She was nowhere to be seen, nobody saw her when she sneaked out of the RV and took off. Everyone decided to give her some space, she could take care of herself.

Evan sharpened her already sharp knife as she sat on the log where her and her brother's new camp was. Once the last bit of dirt covered the small girl's body, Evan went back to their camp and collected everything her and her brother owned, he followed her actions without any questions, he knew better than to question her. Once they had all of their bags, Evan took the chopper and drove off, leaving the others behind in her dust. She stopped at a spot that was far away from the group, but still on farm's lands. 

Daryl decided to go hunting while Evan sat behind in their camp, away from everyone. Carol's words burned her mind and tears welled in her eyes, "That's not my little girl... That's some other, thing." There was something absolutely wrong with the group, something... Rotten. She was done dealing with them... First Lori says her child is better off dead, then Carol refuses to bury her one and only child? What was wrong withe these people?

Her head snapped when she heard a branch breaking. She looked back down at her knife when she saw Daryl had returned and he had sat down on the ground, pulling a threat through a dozen squirrels. They sat in silence for a while before she spoke up, not looking at her brother, "I wanted to have kids. I still do, I think I never told you about that." She chuckled humorlessly as she focused on the sound of the knife scraping against the metal, "But do you remember when we went to the hospital? Because dad went too rough on us? I ended up bleeding, I asked if they could run some tests, the doctor-" Her breath hitched in her throat as she took a small break, she didn't know how to say it exactly. "I hoped that one day, I would hear someone call you uncle." She chuckled, despite the tears that clouded her vision, "You would be that cool uncle that took their niece or nephew to the movies, bought them ice cream. Merle would be that jerk to teach them curse words after he's had a few drinks too many." She finally met Daryl's gaze who was already looked at her, her voice was stone cold, "How could they be so cruel?"

Daryl got up and attached the squirrels to a branch on the tree nearby. He sat down next to his sister and wrapped his arms around her. She curled into him and the two sat down like that for quite a while. Evan sighed as she got up and stretched, "I'm gonna go on a walk, I need to stretch my legs. Could you please build a fire?" Daryl nodded and Evan returned the nod. She grabbed her crossbow and walked away, heading towards the woods.

She found herself at the spot her and Daryl came across the day Sophia... Evan sighed as she walked closer, her face twitched in a frown when she saw that the Cherokee Roses were destroyed, dead flowers covered the ground. She fell to her knees as she reached out and grabbed one of the flower heads. Her fingertips caressed the white, innocent petals, she knew that Carol had done what she herself thought of doing, "Oh, Carol..."

Evan was back at the old camp, standing in front of Sophia's grave. She placed the flower on the dirt before she let her hand rest on the makeshift cross, her eyes stared into it, hoping that if she looked long enough, something would happen and Sophia would come back. She sighed as she let her hand drop and she slowly rose to her feet. Turning around, her gaze hardened when she saw Lori, standing behind her.

Lori sighed before she spoke up, "I need your help. Beth is in some type of shock, Hershel is nowhere to be seen, Rick and Glenn went after him but they still haven't returned," "Did ya go to my brother first?" Lori sighed as she glanced at the ground before she nodded, Evan chuckled as she started walking away, "We're done looking for people, y'all ain't our problem." "But Sophia was and so was I." Evan turned around and glared at Lori while the brunette continued, "You and your brother spent every single day looking for Sophia and you yourself-" "Ya don't know nothing!" Evan's breath was slightly labored as she turned her head slightly, keeping a chip on her shoulder as Lori chuckled. She raised her eyebrow as she moved closer, "What's so funny?" Lori smirked slightly as she glanced at the ground, "Nothing. It's just that the most frightened dogs bark the loudest." With that she looked at Evan one last time and walked away.

Without thinking twice Evan grabbed her crossbow and disappeared into the woods, decided it would be better if she stayed away from people for the time being.

She emerged from the woods when it was already dark, maybe somewhere around nine or ten, maybe even later into the night. The fire her brother had built like promised was the thing that guided her through the darkness. A frown crossed her face when she saw a shadow leaving her brother's camp and walking back to the group. 

Evan reached the camp and threw the dead buck she was carrying on the ground by the base of the tree where they kept their squirrels. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her brother sitting on the log she left him on earlier that same day, he didn't seem to have moved. She grabbed the leg of the carcass and dragged it closer to her brother before she grabbed her knife, sat down and started preparing the meat. The sound of the fire was the only thing that distracted them both from the heaviness of the silence. Daryl spoke up, "She thought I was going to hit her." Evan paused as she glanced at her brother. He sighed as he kept his eyes on the ground, not moving a muscle, "I never would... I never could. I'm not like our father, I ain't the same pig her husband used to be either." He brought his thumb and bit it, chewing down the fingernail, "She flinched. I just raised ma hand, I didn't even go for it or anythin', she just flinched..." His eyes focused on his sister as he looked at her almost shyly, "Am I... Y'know..." He couldn't continue the sentence. He didn't have to.

Evan sighed as she wiped her hands on her pants before she shifted and moved to sit down next her brother. She grabbed his head and tucked his face in the crook of her neck as she wrapped her arms around him. Daryl held onto his sister tightly as she kissed the top of his head before she spoke up, just above a whisper, "The fact that you're afraid, thinking that you could turn into him... You never could, Daryl. You never could, and you never will, I can assure you that."


	17. Sorry Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Shane aren't best friends, Randall is introduced, Dale dies... It's a long chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm hurrying through season two, but I just can't wait for Merle, man... Y'all are gonna get the character development he deserved.

Season : two 

When Evan woke up the next day, the sleeping bag next to her's was folded neatly and her brother was nowhere to be seen. 

She stretched before she reached into her duffel bag and chose clean clothes, shoving her dirty ones away, she was going to wash them later on. Once she changed into a muscle tank, threw on her angel vest, along with her camouflage fishing pants and her old working boots, she put her long curls in a messy bun at the top of her head and wrapped a bandana around her head securely, keeping the loose hairs away from her face and neck. After that, she tucked away her knives in her belt, grabbed her crossbow and left with the mission to go see if her brother was anywhere near the group.

From the distance, she saw Rick and Daryl talking. She brought up two of her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, catching the men's attention. She made her way to the two and gave Rick a nod of a greeting as she slung her arm over her brother's shoulders, "I see you're back." Rick nodded as he rested his hands on his belt, "I am, yeah, so are Hershel and Glenn..." He paused as he scratched the stubble growing on his chin before he continued, "Look, I was already talking to your brother, about you. I need your help." Evan nodded as she stepped forward slightly, crossing her arms over her chest as she listened, "You see, last night we came across a guy. His name is Randall, he knows Maggie, went to school with her, knows where the farm is, says he has a group... We've decided to give him some supplies and drive him out, eighteen miles away from here, then we're gonna leave him. My point is, I'm gonna go with Shane, but... I can't go alone with him. I don't trust him enough, not anymore." Evan nodded, "Alright, I'll tag along. Am I gonna ride with you or am I taking the chopper?" Rick shrugged as he replied, "Is the tank full?" Once Evan nodded, he continued, "Maybe it's better if you take the chopper, I don't really appreciate you and Shane being in a car together." 

Evan nodded and she turned to Daryl, "I'm gonna go get it ready then." Daryl nodded and he watched as his sister walked towards where their camp was. He turned his attention to Rick who spoke up, "I'm gonna take care of her, don't worry." Daryl chuckled as he scratched his short hair, "You and I both know the reason she's coming is because she's gonna take care of y'all. My sister is a tough son of a bitch."

The sound of the motorcycle was Rick's clue. He patted Daryl's shoulder before he walked towards the car where Randall was already tied in the trunk and Shane sat impatiently in the passenger seat. Rick climbed in the driver's seat and Evan blew her brother a kiss as she drove past him to which he chuckled and waved. The woman sped away from the farm's lands, leading the way as Rick drove after.

No one expected to see that Randall was still in the trunk and Shane, Rick and Evan were equally bruised and beat. Daryl watched from afar with wide eyes as his sister got off the motorcycle, limped her way towards the trunk, grabbed Randall by the collar and practically dragged him away towards the barn. He huffed and his eyes narrowed once he focused on Shane who simply stormed off and Rick who was trying to reassure his wife that he as okay. He was kind of surprised when Rick walked past the small crowd that had formed and started making his way towards the redneck. 

Daryl pushed himself off the tree with his foot and stepped closer to Rick, keeping his voice quiet, "What the hell happened out there, man?!" Rick sighed as he squeezed his jaw which seemingly hurt, "Shane and I... Got in a fight once we reached the place, turned out there were walkers. Evan tried to step in, Shane turned in on her, then I had to step in, then Randall tried to make a run for it, Evan tried to stop him, she got circled by walkers, had to climb in a bus to get away, turned out Shane was already hiding there, I considered leaving, but I couldn't leave Evan behind, if it was just Shane I would've left, but I couldn't leave her," He paused when he saw Daryl was staring at him with slightly widened eyes. Rick sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "And now I'm rambling... Look, I'm sorry that Evan got hurt and I'm sorry for what I'm about to ask you, but," He stepped closer, "I'm gonna need you and Evan to get as much information off of Randall as possible. I don't know how you two are going to do it and I don't care, I trust you both. Could you do that for me?" 

Daryl kept Rick's gaze for a few moments longer than necessary. He knew Rick was being honest, he really did trust him. Daryl sighed as he glanced at the ground before he nodded, "Alright. But we're doing that tomorrow. Evan needs some rest right now." Rick nodded as he stepped back, "Of course, I wouldn't expect you to start right now... Thank you. Good to have at least a few of y'all cooperate." Daryl cocked his head slightly as he let his voice become quieter, "Ya alright?" Rick nodded as he glanced at he ground, "Yep. Gotta be." With that the ex sheriff gave him one last nod and walked away.

-

Evan was in the shadows of the barn, leaning against the far wall in the corner, standing next to where her and her brother's crossbows laid on the ground. She has her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her brother pace in front of Randall like an animal, ready to attack its prey. And just like that, he sprung his fist and let it collide with the boy's face over and over again. Evan didn't show any emotion on her face as she whistled, short and low, enough for her brother to hear. He backed away from the boy and stood to his feet, keeping his death glare focused on Randall's bloodied face. That said boy whimpered in pain, "I told you!" 

Daryl growled as he lurched forward, grabbing Randall by the collar and straightening him in a sitting position, slamming his back against the wall, "You told me shit!" "I barely knew these guys! I met them on the road!" Evan spoke up, "How many in your group?" The boy kept his mouth shut, the only noise to be heard was his labored breathing. Daryl glanced back at his sister and she nodded, the blue-eyed man pulled his knife from his belt slowly, which finally caused Randall to speak up, "No, no, no, no, no! Come on, people!" He screamed out when Daryl stabbed the ground, dangerously close to where Randall's leg was, "How many?!" "Thirty! T-Thirty men, thirty!" "Where?!" Evan chimed in, Randall made the mistake to ignore her. She snapped her fingers and her brother obeyed the command, ripping the duct tape off of the stranger's leg which caused him to scream out in pain, "I don't know, I swear! We were never anyplace more than a night!" Daryl raised his eyebrow as he put the knife to the boy's wound, "Scouting? Planning to stay local?" "I-I don't know! They -- they left me behind!"

Evan stepped up, "Let me take over." Daryl did as told. He got up and handed Evan the knife, "Thank you, brother." Daryl stepped back, he was still close enough to protect his sister in case the boy tried anything or his sister needed help. The blonde crouched down with a smile as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder, "Alrighty, let's get started." Without a warning, the knife picked at the edge of the crust on Randall's wound, the boy let out a promising shout, begging desperately, however Evan ignored him, "Ever picked off a scab? Hurts like a bitch, you've gotta start real slow-" "Come on, woman! I'm trying to cooperate!" The edge of the knife dug in slightly, "Sooner or later, you've just gotta rip it off." "Okay! Okay! Okay!" 

Evan hummed in satisfaction as she moved back a bit, but didn't straighten to her full height, she was still crouching down. Randall stuttered a bit before he was able to get out a full sentence, "They have weapons. Heavy stuff, automatics. But I didn't do anything!" Daryl chimed in as he leaned closer to the boy, he leaned a hand on Evan's shoulder, "Ya shot at my boys, tried to take this farm. You just went along with the ride? You're trying to tell us you're innocent!" "Yes!" Randall's breathing was heavily labored as he warily watched Evan raise a hand, she did that just to signal Daryl to back away. Her brother did as told and the boy continued, "These people took me in. Not just guys, a whole group of them. Men and women, kids too -- Just like you people! Thought I'd have a better chance with them, y'know." He paused as he tried to regain full control of his breathing, "But, we go out, scavenge. A man and his two daughters -- teenagers. Real young... Real cute." Fire ran in Evan's blood as Randall continued, "Their daddy had to watch while these guys -- they -- And they didn't kill him afterwards! They just made him watch, as his daughters. " Daryl let out an almost animalistic growl, somewhere deep in his chest that was only loud enough for Evan to hear, "They just, they just left him there..." The boy trailed off when he saw the dangerous gleam in the twin's eyes, "But I, I didn't touch these girls! I didn't, I swear, I didn't-" He was cut off by Evan's fist, colliding with his cheek. He spat out blood while Evan straightened to her full height, "I didn't, you've gotta believe me."

Evan turned to walk away, her brother stood right where he was, his chest heaving with rage. Evan paused as she looked over her shoulder, "Daryl... Finish him." He didn't need to be told twice. 

Daryl took his precious time inside the barn, before he joined his sister who was smoking a cigarette. She offered it to her brother and he accepted it gladly, savoring the taste of the burnt chemicals that filled his lungs and lingered on his throat. He released what his lungs couldn't take through his nose and he looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow, "You good?" Evan nodded and mentioned with her head to head towards the camp. 

The two walked towards the group where a small part of it was talking. Rick stepped closer to the twins once they halted, "What'd you find?" Daryl took it upon himself to break the news, "Boy's got a gang, thirty men. They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead... And our women, they're gonna wish they were." Maggie, who was standing alongside their group frowned when her eyes landed on the twin's bruised knuckles, "What did you do?" Evan shrugged as she grabbed the cigarette and flicked some ash to the ground, "Had a little chat." Their attention turned to Rick who had spoken up, "No one goes near this guy... We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat." Dale stepped up, pure disbelief lacing his every word, "You're going to kill him?" Rick nodded as he shot the elderly man a look, "It's settled. I'll do it today." With that, the meeting seemed to be over, Rick walked away, leaving no place for conversation. Evan glanced at Dale who followed the blue-eyed man and she elbowed Daryl slightly before she walked away to their camp, her brother hot on her trail.

Daryl decided to go hunt and Evan had nothing better to do but stay at their camp and rest, she would never admit it, but she was still really beat up after her and Shane's fight the other day. She was making arrows as she sat in front of the base of some broken construction, her back leant against the bricks as she put yet another finished arrow to the pile. She heard branches breaking so she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, she sighed when she saw no other but Dale making her way towards the camp, "The whole point of us coming up here is to get away from you people!" 

Dale chuckled as he leant against his rifle, propping his foot on a rock, "Gonna take more than that." Evan raised an eyebrow, looking Dale up and down. She sighed as she put her tools next to her and crossed her arms over her chest, "Carol sent you?" The man glanced at the ground before he met the blonde's piercing gaze, "Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you, your brother and your new role in the group." Evan sighed as she ran her hand over her face, the sudden idea of joining her brother seemed intriguing, "Oh, man... I don't need my head shrunk, neither does my brother." She got up to her full height and grabbed some of the arrows she had just made, she didn't seem to notice the silhouette of her brother who was beginning to exit the woods and step on their camp's grounds, "Group's broken. We're better off fending for ourselves." Dale chuckled as he raised an eyebrow, "You act like you don't care." Daryl decided to step in as he moved to stand next to his sister, "Yeah, it's 'cause we don't." Dale nodded his head, "So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" The twins shook their heads and said, "Nope." at the same time, sharing the same annoyed expression. The man before them gestured with his hands as he exclaimed, "Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or another?" Evan prepared her crossbow while Daryl continued the conversation, "Didn't peg ya for a desperate son of a bitch." Dale ignored the remark as he tried with Evan, "Your opinion makes a difference!" Evan slung her crossbow over her shoulder before she gestured with her hand as she spoke, "Man, ain't nobody looking at us for nothing!" Dale wasn't about to give up that easily, "Carol is, and I am! Right now!... You have Rick's ear-" "Rick just looks to Shane!" Evan nodded, agreeing with her brother, "He's got his head way too far up that man's ass, he can't see straight. Let him, leave him be." 

Evan mentioned for Daryl to follow her and they started to walk away when Dale spoke up, "You cared about what happened to Sophia. Cared what it meant to the group." The twins turned to look back at Dale, Evan decided to put a hand on Daryl's shoulder for good measure as the two continued to listen to what Dale said, "Torturing people? That isn't you, you're decent human beings! So is Rick, Shane? He's different." Evan stepped forward, "Why's that? 'Cause he killed Otis?" Both men looked at the blonde, but Dale was the only one who seemed shocked. Evan chuckled humorlessly as she shrugged, "He told some story, how Otis covered him, saved his ass. That's bullshit. He showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick ain't stupid, if he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't wanna." She paused before she glanced at the ground. A sigh left her lips before she shrugged again and looked back up at the elderly man, "Like I said, group's broken." She faced Daryl and whistled, with that the two walked away, leaving Dale on his own.

When the two returned, they entered the house late in the afternoon, they had to be a part of the meeting where Randall's fate would be discussed. When they joined the group, there was already an argument. Apparently, no one wanted to support Dale except Andrea, which outnumbered them drastically and left Rick with no choice but to kill Randall. Dale threw his hands in disbelief, "So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime he might never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization." Andrea sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Lori was the one to speak up, "You barely came back this time. There are walkers. You could break down." Carol nodded as she chimed in, "Y-you could get lost." Then Daryl as he nodded and glanced at his sister, "Or ambushed." Rick sighed as he nodded, "They're right. We should not put our own people at risk."

Even Evan couldn't believe that right after they started discussing how to do something they haven't even decided yet, and that being the murder of another human being. Dale seemed even more disturbed as he interrupted them, "Hold on, hold on! You talk about this like it's already decided! This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five-minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us." He shot the twins a disapproving glance, "He's been tortured, he's gonna be executed? How are we any better than these people we are so afraid of? We all know what needs to be done." 

Another argument bloomed, between Rick, Shane, Andrea and Dale, Evan and Daryl were starting to get annoyed. Apparently Carol was too because she spoke up, "Stop it! Just stop it! I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask from us to decide something like this. Please decide, I don't know how, but leave me out of this." Dale protested, which led to the others arguing as well. Evan turned to look at her brother as she whispered, "What do you think?" Daryl shrugged as he glanced at the ground, "I dunno. But I think Rick's gonna make the right decision in the end, doesn't matter." They turned their attention back to the group, the decision was made. Randall was to be executed. Dale chuckled humorlessly as he looked around at the group, "Are y'all gonna watch too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being." He sighed as he walked towards the front door. He paused in front of Evan and Daryl and nodded, "You're right. This group is broken."

Later that evening, close to nighttime, once the sun was replaced by the moon, Evan and Daryl pushed Randall on his knees in front of Rick. The boy screamed and pleaded for his life, his tears seeping through the blindfold. The ex-sheriff raised his revolver and put the barrel to the young man's forehead, his thumb took down the safety and his finger hovered over the trigger. He took a deep breath and Evan glanced at her brother who returned it, preparing each other for what was about to happen.

"Do it, dad. Do it."

Every single head aside from Randall's turned to the entrance of the barn where Carl stood and watched his father with an encouraging smile. Shane who was unoccupied pushed his back off the wall and took a few long strides, ushering the boy away from the scene. Rick sighed as he looked at the ground and put the safety back on before he looked at Daryl and Evan, putting his gun back at its holster, "Take him away. Take him away." The twins did as told, each grabbing Randall and hauling him up to his feet as Rick elaborated, "We're going to keep custody of him, for now. I will decide what to do tomorrow."

Once the boy was tied away back at the barn, Daryl and Evan headed towards their camp. The sound of crickets playing their late night song was the only sound they heard aside from their own feet breaking branches as they walked. That was until they heard a muffled scream from somewhere not that far away from where they were standing. Evan took off, her brother followed her without a question as they both got their crossbows ready. Evan lunged herself at the back on the walker that ripped someone apart with its bare hands, she was going to hit the man underneath if she fired so she had to do it with her hands. Grabbing the knife from her belt, she dove it deep into the walker's skull and the monster's body fell limp on the grass. Evan's breath was labored and she glanced at the man who turned out to be Dale before she joined Daryl and started calling for the others.

Rick, Hershel and the group arrived. The ex vet was quick to fall to his knees and check Dale's wound. He sighed as he got back up to his feet and shook his head, "There's nothing I can do." Dale was a goner. Rick took a deep breath as he grabbed his gun and pointed it at Dale with a shaking hand, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Daryl glanced at Evan and she nodded. Daryl stepped forward and gently placed his hand over Rick's. Rick nodded his head as he let go of the gun and let Daryl take it. The redneck fell down to one knee and took aim. Evan put her hand on Rick's shoulder and he stepped closer. She let her hand slide around the man's neck until her arm was slung over his shoulders as she watched her brother.

The safety clicked, followed by Daryl's raspy, emotional voice, "Sorry brother."

Then he pulled the trigger.


	18. Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Daryl go back to the group, they have a bonding moment with Rick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter took me three hours to write AND edit, I am EXHAUSTED, but I like the way it turned out. Anyway, today I'll start writing he season finale, finish it tomorrow and I'll start the next season. I'm so excited, we're gonna get a lot mooooooore Merle action, yay! See ya tomorrow!

Season : two

Dale's funeral was beautiful. 

The group gathered around the grave, each member put a stone. Rick said some meaningful words which Evan was sure she was going to remember for quite some time. Dale was right, they had lost their humanity, she had thought that long before the man said it himself. She didn't believe that they could go back to the way things were before, even if someway, somehow, someone found a cure. The world was long gone, but they had to fight to put a strict line between the dead and the living.

After the funeral, the twins went back to their camp and collected everything in their possession. They decided to move back to the group, despite their differences they had to be united, otherwise they were weak and they were going to get themselves killed. They didn't tell Rick the real reason, they came up with the excuse that the winter was going to be harsh, but Rick saw past every word. He decided not to try his luck with the siblings's temper and simply agreed, saying he was happy to have them back.

Rick, Evan and Daryl discussed their next move, they decided to honor Dale and go with the original plan. They stood next to a small table on the front porch, a map laid on it. Rick explained the plan while the Dixon's listened, "Take him out to Senoia --hour there, hour back, give or take." Daryl nodded as he scratched his chin, "We may lose the light, but we'll be halfway home by then." Evan nodded in agreement as she stepped back a little, "This little pain in the ass will be a distant memory. Good riddance." The two turned their attention back to Rick who continued, "Carol's putting together some provisions for him, enough to last a few days." The ex sheriff put a hand on Evan's shoulder briefly as he continued, "I feel awful asking this from you again, I really do, but after last time, there's no way I could take Shane, even if I wanted to. He's completely different, I've known him for years and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he hit a woman, numerous times." While he said the last part, he looked at Daryl with an apologetic hint in his eyes. Daryl shrugged as he glanced at his sister, "Eve is a tough son of a bitch. Shane looks worse." Evan nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What Shane did, it ain't on you. Really. And don't worry about Randall, you've done alright by us so far, we've got your back." Rick raised an eyebrow as he smirked slightly, "Even when I handcuffed your brother to a roof and left him?" Eve chuckled, catching up that he meant the question as a joke while Daryl spoke up, "We're still trying to wrap our heads around it... But what's done is done. Merle is a tough one, nothing can kill Merle but Merle, don't forget he even stole our truck." He chuckled lightly, which Rick and Evan also did. Rick sighed as he turned his gaze to Daryl who went to sit on the railing of the front porch, "Look, that thing you did last night," He glanced at Evan and she caught on, he meant for both of them. Daryl shrugged as he cut him off, looking at the slightly older man, "Ain't no reason you should do all the heavy lifting." Rick nodded his head as his eyes focused on Shane who parked the car in the beginning of the front yard. He turned his attention back to the twins as he questioned, "So you two are alright with the plan?" Daryl nodded as he looked away from the car, "I don't see you and I trading haymakers on the side of the road, can say the same for Eve." Evan chuckled as she nodded, "Nobody'd win that fight." She elbowed Daryl slightly and mentioned with her head towards Shane who was beginning to walk towards the three. Daryl nodded and got up, "I'm gonna take a piss." Evan turned to Rick, "I'm gonna have a smoke." With that the two walked away, leaving the sheriff to deal with his partner on his own.

Evan was loading her and her brother's crossbows, the provisions and other things they would need in one of their trucks when Daryl stood next to her, taking the cigarette from her lips and taking a drag, "Shane and Rick still fighting over who has the bigger cock?" Evan chuckled as she shook her head, "Nah, Rick went to talk to Carl or something, at least that's what he told me." They both looked at T-Dog who made his way to the two, "You only got so many arrows, bolts, whatever ya call them." He handed Daryl a gun and the man raised an eyebrow as he studied it, "Is that Dale's gun?" T-Dog nodded as he glanced at the ground, "Yeah..." Daryl glanced at Evan as he raised an eyebrow, "Wish I knew where the hell mine is." Evan raised her hands in mock surrender which caused Daryl to chuckle and shake his head. Rick tugged on his jacket as he joined the other three, "Ready?" Evan and Daryl nodded and T-Dog looked at Rick, "I'll get the package."

Rick, Daryl and Evan made sure they had everything they needed while they waited for Theodor to return with Randall so they could get the whole thing over with. To their biggest horror, T-Dog ran in their direction, panic clear on his features, "He's gone!"

Evan was quick to sprint towards the barn, Daryl reached over and grabbed their crossbows before he followed his sister and Rick. Evan thanked him and she paused to get her crossbow ready before she started looking around the barn, looking for any tracks that could help find him. Just as she caught on some tracks, Shane's voice echoed around her, getting her and the others' attention, "Rick! Rick!" The ex sheriff started making his way towards his friend, worry clear on his features when he saw the man's bloodied face, "What happened?!" "He's armed! He's got my gun! Son of a bitch clocked me in the face!" 

Rick cursed under his breath as he turned to the twins, "Daryl, Evan, come with us!" He pointed at Hershel, giving the elderly man orders, "Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house, lock all the doors and stay put!" With that, he took off after Shane, leading the two others into the woods. They stopped at a spot in the woods and Evan and Daryl started looking around for any tracks, but came up empty-handed. Shane groaned as he turned to Rick, "There ain't no use in tracking him, alright? He went that way, we need to pair up." Daryl raised an eyebrow as he looked at Shane, "Kid weights a buck-twenty-five soaking wet. You trying to tell us he got the jump on you?" Evan put a hand on Daryl's chest while Shane bit back, "I say a rock pretty much evens out these odds, don't ya think?" Rick stepped up, "Enough. Evan, Daryl, you two start heading towards the right flank. Me and Shane will take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there,"His fingers hovered over his revolver and the twins caught on, "Keep an eye out for each other."

With that the four took in two different directions. Evan grabbed her torch from her belt and turned it on as her and Daryl continued looking for tracks, they decided to stay silent, the last thing they needed was to attract a walker or even worse, walkers while they were out in the dark. Evan frowned as she nudged Daryl in the ribs lightly, getting his attention, "You see that? There's two sets of tracks right here. Shane must've followed him way longer than he said." Daryl returned the motion before he pointed at a tree, not that far away from where they were standing, "There's fresh blood on this tree." Evan nodded as she got a closer look, "Looks like they're walking in tandem..." She trailed off a she looked back down at the ground, "Look, there's something up with the tracks here... Looks like there was a little dust right here, something went down." Daryl frowned as he looked at his sister, "Shit is getting weird, don't cha think?" Evan nodded as she hummed, "It is." She mentioned back to the tracks, "Had a little trouble." 

Before any of them could react, Daryl let out a startled yelp as a walker threw itself at him from behind. Evan cursed under her breath as she turned the torch in her hand and shoved the handle deep into the walker's skull. The monster fell to the ground and Daryl had to put his hands on Evan's shoulder to keep himself from falling over. Evan grabbed the torch properly and looked her brother over for any scratches or bites frantically, "Shit, you okay?" Daryl nodded, his breath was labored as he pulled his sister in a quick hug, "Yeah, it didn't get me." He let Evan go before he turned around and looked down at the corpse laying at his feet, "Shit, that's Randall." 

Daryl was right. Randall looked even more beat-up than when they last saw him. Evan crouched down and checked the body for any scratches or bites, but came back with nothing. She frowned as she straightened up and looked at her brother, "I think Shane killed him, Randall died from this," She gestured to the boy's neck, "But it's weird... There are no bites or anything... I've no idea how he turned." Daryl sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Come on, let's head back. This is getting way too dark."

The two started heading back, being careful to follow their own tracks. They reached the edge of Hershel's land when they heard it. A gunshot. Evan cursed under her breath as she turned to look at Daryl, "I'm going back to Rick, go back to the house, make sure everyone's okay." Daryl's eyes widened as he shook his head, "Eve, no, that's a suicide run!" Evan grabbed his shoulders and gave them a squeeze, "Brother, brother, if it was Rick who just got shot, we're in deep shit. You need to go, okay? I have arrows, bolts, a gun and a torch, I will be okay." She kissed her brother's forehead and nodded, "Go, now." Daryl cursed under his breath as he pulled his sister in a fast embrace before he took off towards the house.

Evan reached the field, but stayed hidden in the trees. From what she could see, Rick was on his knees and Shane laid on the ground. The ex sheriff's shoulders shook with silent sobs and Evan felt something deep down inside her break. She had no idea what Rick must have felt after doing such thing, but she knew Shane gave him no choice. She frowned when she saw Carl making his way to his father, the boy made sure to keep his footsteps quiet and it must have worked, because Rick didn't hear him, Evan only noticed him because of her position. The boy's voice shook with emotion, "Dad?"

Rick shot up from the ground as he turned to face his son, "Carl?" The boy's breath started to get labored when his eyes fell to Shane's lifeless body, then he looked back at his father as he stepped back. Rick tried to take a few steps closer, but that only caused Carl to raise his gun. Evan's eyes widened, but then she realized that Carl wasn't aiming at his father, he was aiming at Shane who had started to come back. She went to knock a bolt into place, but she stopped herself. Carl needed to do this. He had to.

Rick raised his hands as he pleaded, tears thick on his voice, "Carl, p-put the gun down. Carl, it's not what it seems. Carl, p-please." Shane had shifted to a standing position and his snarls and groans were way too quiet for Rick to hear. Carl groaned as he took a few long strides and pushed his father to the side, just when the walker started moving. He raised the gun, took aim and pulled the trigger. The body of who once used to be Shane fell to the ground and Carl was quick to drop the gun and let his father wrap his arms around him.


	19. This Isn't A Democracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whole bunch of things happen, Daryl and Rick reunite and Rick announces the Ricktatorship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally done with season two! Who's excited for the Dixon Family reunion next season????

Season : two

Daryl's feet ached as he pleaded and hoped they would carry him for a little while longer. He heard the growls behind him and he was quite the distance away from the herd, that just meant it was massive. He cursed under his breath as he simply jumped over the fence and picked up his speed, literally sprinting towards the house with every last bit of his strength. Finally, he took all of the steps on the front porch at once and ran into the house, slamming the door shit behind him. Every single person turned their attention to him and Lori was quick to stand by his side as he leant against the wall heavily, trying to control his breathing, "Daryl, what happened?" The man straightened up to his full height as he took numerous deep breaths, through his nose and out of his mouth, "Randall's dead, Evan and I found him, he had turned. He wasn't bit. His neck was broken, Shane did it, their tracks were all over the place, Shane ain't no tracker, they went together. Evan and I were about to head back when we heard a gunshot-" Lori's eyes widened as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Do you know if Rick's okay?" The blue-eyed man shook his head as he shot the brunette an apologetic look, "Evan went to check up on him, he's gonna make sure he's alright."

Daryl opened the front door and walked out, he cursed under his breath when he saw that the herd was closing in and he was right, it was huge, the biggest they've seen so far. Hershel told Patricia to kill the lights and she did as told, otherwise the walkers would notice them right away and they would be dead. Daryl turned his head to Maggie who stood close to Glenn, but made sure her father was close too, "Should we go inside?" Daryl decided to answer as he looked out into the distance, the herd was closing in, "Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about." They turned their attention to Lori who ran back out, "Carl's gone! He was upstairs, I can't find him anywhere." Some of the women ran back inside the house to help Lori look for the boy, Maggie however returned and started handing everyone guns. Daryl raised an eyebrow, "I got the number, it's no use." Hershel ignored him as he loaded his shotgun, "You can go if you want, don't forget your sister is out there too." Daryl glared as he stepped closer, "I'm sure that my sister is already as far away from here as possible, we should be too." Hershel returned the glare as he held the shotgun in his hands firmly, "This is my farm, I will die here." The two had a small stare-down and Daryl sighed, caving in, "Alright, it's as good a night as any." 

Daryl jumped over the railing and got on his brother's chopper. He made sure his gun was loaded while the others piled into their own vehicles. They all drove off towards the herd and Daryl felt something mixed between hope and pain fill his chest when he noticed the barn was on fire, it felt too close to home. He hoped desperately his sister was the one to set it on fire. He parked the chopper a few feet away from the fence and started firing away, taking a small portion of the walkers down. Cursing under his breath when he noticed the fence was giving in, Daryl pocketed his gun and drove away towards Jimmy who was in the RV. He stopped right in front of the driver's side and screamed over the commotion, "Maybe our people set the barn on fire, go check it out!" The boy was quick to do as told, he stepped on the gas and sped off towards the barn.

Rick, Evan and Carl screamed as they flung their arms around, the fire was spreading faster than planned. Evan chuckled as she put her hands on Carl's shoulders, "Good job! It worked!" Rick jumped over to the roof, close where Jimmy had parked the RV. He nodded at Evan and she nodded back, helping the boy over. Evan jumped over, loosing her footing for a brief second, but both Carl and Rick were able to reach forward and grab her hands. She cursed as she allowed them to pull her forward, one of the walkers was able to grab at her hair, but no damage was done. Once she was stable, Rick jumped over to the roof of the RV, followed by Carl and Evan. Evan grabbed her gun from its holster and started covering the two as they climbed down the RV. Once they were on the ground, Evan jumped from the RV and landed on her feet, giving Rick a nod.

They sprinted past the RV, Evan glanced over her shoulder to see a splatter of blood cover the windshield. She looked ahead and pointed to the woods, "I know how to circle back to the farm, come on!" They ran with all of their will power, the walkers jumped from everywhere, but Carl, Rick and Evan were quick to cover each other. Evan pointed to where Hershel's truck was parked, the man himself wasn't that far away from them. Hershel shot at every single walker he could, protecting his own. In any other situation, Evan would've given him a standing ovation for the bravery. She nudged Rick, getting his attention, "Carl and I are gonna get in the truck, you go get Hershel, we ain't leaving without you." Rick nodded his head, then he kissed the top of Carl's head and ran off in a full sprint. Evan grabbed Carl's hand and squeezed it tightly as the two made a run for the vehicle. Evan helped the boy into the back, after which she stood close to the driver's side of the truck, leaning over the hood of the car as she covered for Rick and Hershel who were running towards them. Once there was a safe distance between them and the walkers, Evan got inside the truck, closed her door and started it. Hershel got in the back next to Carl and Rick threw himself in the passenger seat, "Go, go, go, go!"

Evan stepped on the gas and sped off, bodies threw themselves at the truck. Shifting the gear, she looked over her shoulder briefly as she asked Hershel, "Did you see my brother?! Lori, anyone?!" Hershel shook his head and Evan cursed under her breath. She focused on the road and cursed again when she felt her eyes well up with tears. A frown covered her features when she felt hand cover the one she kept on the pole to change the gear. Looking at it briefly, Evan glanced at Rick who was looking at her, "They made it. I'm sure they did." She sighed as she shifted the gear again, causing Rick to remove his hand, "We have to go to the highway, if my brother's alive, if anyone is alive, they would do the same." 

They were the first ones on the highway. Rick pointed to one of the cars they left for Sophia and Evan nodded. She parked the truck where Rick told her to and the others started piling out, Evan killed the engine, then she just leant her head against the steering wheel as she closed her eyes. She was tired, it took them the entire night to get to the highway safely. She sighed as she covered her head with her hands, blocking out any sunlight that passed through her eyelids. Evan could hear voices, Carl and Rick were arguing, Hershel mentioned something about God, there was also the occasional grunt and snarl from a walker that was passing by. Reaching behind, Evan let her fingertips touch her crossbow that was still securely slung over her shoulder. Straightening up in her seat, she finally took it off and dropped it in the back, keeping her eyes closed.

Then she heard it. 

Evan opened her eyes as she threw the door open and stepped out of the truck, kicking the door closed afterwards. Using a hand to shield her eyes, a smile tugged on the corners of her lips when she saw Daryl. He was straddling the chopper, Carol sat behind him, her hands gripped the seat, helping her keep her balance. Behind Daryl, the others' cars appeared in eyesight, but Evan didn't care, as selfish as it was.

Daryl killed the engine engine, then he jumped from the motorcycle and took two long strides. Evan threw her arms around her brother and he did the same. They held onto each other tightly, completely blocking out the rest, they were in their own little world. Evan pulled back and held Daryl at an arm's length, a wide smile on her face. Daryl's bottom lip started to tremble and he leaned his forehead on his sister's shoulder. She kissed the top of his head before she pulled back completely. The twins turned their attention to Rick who had walked up to them. The men shook hands as Rick asked, "How'd you find them?" Daryl smirked as he shrugged, throwing an arm around Evan's waist. He glanced at Glenn, "Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road." He turned his gaze back to Rick, "Figured, he had to be Asian to be drivin' like that." That got a laugh from almost everyone, Glenn himself chuckled as he nodded his head, "Good one."

They figured out they had lost Jimmy, Patricia and Andrea. Shane too. Daryl glanced at Evan and she quietly mentioned with her eyes to the blood covering Rick's shirt. He nodded his head as he turned his attention back to T-Dog and Lori, the brunette was talking about Andrea, "There were walkers everywhere..." Daryl raised an eyebrow as he stepped forward, "Did you see her?" Theodor sighed as he shook his head. Daryl turned to face Evan as he nodded his head, "I'm gonna go back." Rick stepped forward, shaking his head firmly, "No,-" "We can't just leave her." "Daryl, she isn't there. She isn't." Rick paused as he glanced at the ground, "She's somewhere else or she's dead." Evan nodded as she put a hand on Daryl's shoulder, "There's no way to find her."

It was a hard decision for the entire group, but it had to be done. They didn't have a choice. One by one, the members of the group started piling into their vehicles. Carol turned to Daryl, her big blue eyes were shining with warm gratitude, "I can go with Hershel, you and Evan can stay together. I don't want to separate you." Daryl nodded his head and muttered a thanks, which got a warm smile from the short woman in return. She walked over to where Evan was just turned the key and she told her the news. Evan nodded and climbed out, grabbed her crossbow and threw it over her shoulder. She sat behind Daryl who was already straddling the chopper. The blonde wrapped her arms around her brother's middle and he squeezed one of her hands gently before he grabbed the handlebars.

Everyone was forced to stop when Rick hit the horn of his car. Daryl was the first to stop, the twins got off the motorcycle while the others climbed out. Crossing her arms over her chest, Evan cocked her head to the side slightly, "You out?" Rick nodded as he halted close to the group, "Running on fumes." They turned their attention to Maggie, "We can't stay here." Glenn nodded as he stepped closer to the brunette, "We can't all fit in one car." Rick stepped forward, "We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning." Carol was the next one to speak up, "Spend the fire here?" The permanent frown on Evan's face softened when Carl said he was freezing, his mother tried to keep him warm. She pulled off her winter vest, Daryl was wearing the one with the wings. 

Walking up to the two while the group continued to argue, she gave Lori the vest as she nodded her head, "He needs it, I'm good." Lori hesitated to take it, but she nodded gratefully, Carl did the same and Evan couldn't help but tip his hat playfully. Evan turned her attention to her brother who whistled, "Evan, you got any arrows? Bolts?" Evan sighed as she shook her head, "Nah, I'm running low." She stepped forward and cut off the panicked voices that started to erupt, "Everyone, stop panicking. It ain't gonna be any use. The louder your voices get, it ain't gonna make ammo or arrows or food or anything appear outta nowhere." 

Maggie nodded as she stepped up, "You're right, we need to look for gas, Glenn and I can go right now." Rick nearly snarled as he replied, "No, we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car." Glenn sighed as he spoke up, "Rick, we're stranded now." Evan was quick to defend Rick, "I know it looks bad," Rick interrupted her, shrugging off the hand Evan had put on his stomach to tell him to stay quiet, "We've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other." The blonde moved to stand next to Daryl while the man continued, "I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did. We're together. We keep it that way, we'll find shelter, there's gotta be a place-" "Rick, look around!" Glenn gestured with his hand as he slightly raised his voice, "Okay? There's walkers everywhere! They're migrating or something." Rick's eyes got slightly darker, he was clearly angered, "There's gotta be a place, not just where we hold up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other." He took a deep breath as he tried to calm down, "I know it's out there, we just have to find it." 

Evan couldn't help herself when she rolled her eyes at the words that left Maggie's mouth, "Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure. For how long? Look what happened to the farm! We fooled ourselves to think it's safe." Hershel put a hand on his daughter's shoulder as he nodded his head, "We won't make that mistake again." Rick sighed as he leaned his hands on his belt. He looked around until his eyes landed on a few constructions on the side of the road. He pointed at them briefly as he turned to the group, "We'll make camp tonight over there, get on the road in the break of the day." The twins turned their attention to Carol who asked them with pure disbelief on her features, "Does this feel right to you?" Before any of them could answer, what Beth said got their attention, "What if the walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Evan and Daryl shared a glance and nodded at each other, Daryl decided to speak up as he stepped forward slightly, catching the others' attention, "You know we found Randall, right? He had turned, but he wasn't bit." Something in Rick's features changed. When Lori asked what happened, Evan took it upon herself to explain, "Shane killed Randall, like he always wanted to." Lori raised an eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side, her eyes shifted from Evan to Rick, "And then the herd got to him?" 

"We're all infected."

Evan turned her head to face Rick so hard and fast, she felt like she got herself whiplash, "What?" Daryl stepped to stand closer to his sister as they both listened to Rick who explained further, "Jenner told me back at CDC. Whatever this is, we all carry it. No matter what, even if you're not bit, once you die, you turn." Glenn ran his fingers through his hair before he stepped up, "This is not your call. You should have said something, you should have told us. When, when I found out about the barn, I told everyone, for our safety." Rick glanced at the ground before he gave Glenn a warning glance, "Well, I thought it is best that people didn't know." With that he turned on his heel and walked away. Lori sighed as she gave Evan a pleading look and she nodded. Lori walked over to where Rick was standing while Evan walked over to Carl and put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, it's gonna get dark soon." She looked around at the others, "We need to set up for the night." Looking down at Carl, she tried to give the small boy a smile, "Come on, doing some light labor is gonna warm you up, why don't you and Beth look around for firewood, alright? Stay where I can see you."

Once she was sure it was okay with Hershel, Beth and Carl did as told while they others grabbed everything they would need from the car. It took them quite some time to make up a camp for the night. The kids returned with the firewood and Daryl thanked them, then he was quick to build a fire. T-Dog volunteered to be the first on watch and Evan thanked him as she sat down next to her brother. She glanced at Lori who sat down behind Carl and wrapped the boy in her arms before she turned her attention to Carol who spoke up, addressing the twins, "We're not safe with him. Keeping something like that from us." Daryl shook his head as he looked up from the fire and met Carol's gaze, "No. Rick's done alright by me." Evan nodded, agreeing with her brother. Carol rolled her eyes as she sat down next to the two, "You two are his henchmen and I'm a burden. You deserve better." Evan rolled her eyes as she shifted, getting more comfortable on the hard ground, "What do you want?" The slightly older woman was quick to respond, her eyebrows were raised slightly, "A man of honor." Daryl and Evan glanced at each other before they turned to face Carol again, Daryl spoke up, "Rick has honor."

Before any of them could say anything, something shifted from the bushes, causing everyone to stay on high alert, that was when Evan noticed Rick had returned. Maggie moved closer to her father as she strained her eyes, trying to see anything through the darkness, "What was that?" Daryl shrugged as he stepped closer, his crossbow clutched tightly in his hands, "Could be anything. Could be a raccoon, could be a possum... Walker." The young brunette spoke up again, addressing her father, "We need to leave, what are we waiting for?" The others started to panic, trying to figure out the source of the noise. Rick stepped forward as he looked down at the younger girl, "The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark." Carol stepped forward as she raised her voice, glaring at the man, "Do something!" "I am doing something! I'm trying to keep this group together, alive!" He ran his fingers through his hair before he turned to face the woman again, his voice echoed all around them, "I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake!"

Everyone froze in complete and utter terror, except Evan and Daryl maybe, same as Lori, she already knew. Carl's heart wrenching cries which got muffled by his mother's shirt were the only thing that made Evan feel bad about what happened. Shane, he deserved to be stopped. He had gone way too far. They didn't have a choice. What Daryl said, that Rick had done alright by the both of them, it was still true. She felt like it would take a lot for her to disagree with Rick's form of leadership.

The said man didn't even glance at his son as his gaze turned stone-cold. Rick stepped back a bit as he gestured with his hand, "You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole thing with Randall, led me to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice, my hands are clean!" He shrugged as he continued, his tone got harsher with every word, "Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe, maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe, maybe I'm fooling myself again - Why don't you go and find for yourself? Send me a postcard!" He pointed to the gap in the bricks, "Go on, there's the door!" Nobody moved, because Rick was right. He looked around and cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised, "No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight if you're staying." 

"This isn't a democracy anymore."


	20. Good Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick, Evan and Daryl find the prison, the group fights some zombies, then they sing Irish songs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm wayyyyyyy too obsessed with The High Kings, oops.  
> Sorry for the wait, y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the ending was really enjoyable to write.  
> Also, would y'all want a The Boondock Saints inspired fic? I have a soft spot for the MacManus brothers. Let me know!

Season three 

The group was able to survive the harsh winter, not just the winter, but they survived for over eight months, moving from house to house. Rick's form of leadership and attitude towards his wife and son became only harsher, but at least he kept the group alive. They moved from house to house, without that magical place called shelter Rick was talking about. The thought of the barn felt like a distant and painful memory, they had all lost way too much back then. At least they still had each other.

Evan snapped out of her trance when she heard something hit the ground, she wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the way her brother flinched. She sighed as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, guiding his head back on her shoulder. Carl looked at the can of dog food sadly, the expression going away in a second. His father ran his fingers through his hair as he huffed, they were all not just exhausted, but also starving. Last thing they all ate was the possum and squirrel Evan and Daryl were able to hunt down a few days ago when Rick gave them one hour to go and hunt. 

They all turned their attention to T-Dog who whistled. The urgency in the man's eyes was enough. With a sigh, Evan got up from the ground and helped Daryl up, the others followed and started collecting everything they owned. The group was able to run out of the house before the walkers could notice them. Once their supplies were in the trunks of their cars, Evan straddled the chopper as Daryl sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. They all drove off, before the creatures got to them. They had all fallen in the same routine, go somewhere, scavenge, try to settle down, run from walkers, repeat. 

Once they were a safe distance away from the herd, they stopped their vehicles. The twins got off the motorcycle and made their way to the Hyundai, a map was sprawled out on the hood and the others were circling around the car, Beth and Carl kept watch while Lori rested in the car. T-Dog sighed as he looked around the map, "We got no place to go." Maggie nodded as she looked at Rick, "When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We'll never make it south." Daryl spoke up, addressing Glenn, "What would you say? That was about one-hundred fifty head?" The Asian shrugged as he replied, "That was last week, it could be twice by now." Evan looked at Hershel as he pointed to the map, "This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear through there." His daughter shrugged, her gaze back on the map, "Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could split out this way." She looked up at the group, "We're blocked." Rick sighed as he pointed at the map, "Only thing to do is double back at twenty-seven and swing towards Greenville." Evan shook her head as she leaned her hands on the hood, "Nah, we picked through that already, it's like we spent the winter going in circles." Rick sighed as he looked back at the map. He hummed under his breath as he glanced at the blonde before he showed her the area he was talking about, "At Newman we'll push west. Haven't been through there already." He glanced to the truck Lori was in before he said in a quieter voice, "We can't keep going house to house. Need to find someplace to hold up for a few weeks." 

Once everything was settled, others started to move away from the car while T-Dog spoke up, "Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out? Won't take long. We got to fill up on water, we can boil it later." Rick nodded as he patted the man's shoulder quickly, "Yeah, knock yourselves out." Evan whistled as she turned to her brother, "We've got a bunch of arrows, wanna go hunting?" She turned to face Rick as she shrugged, "You could tag along while the others wash their panties." Rick agreed to join the two and with that, they walked off.

They were following some railroad tracks, hoping they would come across something, anything. Daryl was the one to lead, Evan stayed at the back, walking a few paces behind Rick. She kicked a rock with her foot, then she noticed that the trees and bushes on the right side were starting to thin out. Her brother and Rick came to a halt, looking out into the distance. She stood off to Rick's right side, Daryl on the sheriff's left.

In he distance, they could see a prison. It had a huge yard, surrounded by tall, strong double fences with barbwire on top. Four guard towers were positioned at the corners of the yard, tall enough to see for miles. There were walkers all over the yard, wearing the ugly, faded prison suits, that meant most of them were inmates. Daryl sighed as he squinted up at the huge building, "What a shame." But Evan found herself disagreeing. She slowly turned to Rick and saw the faint smile on his lips and the way his eyes seemed to have gained the spark they lacked ever since the farm. Realizing that the blonde was staring at him, he turned to face Evan, his smile still on his face and what Evan didn't catch was the way his eyes became even brighter when he met the beauty's Georgia blues, "You think the same as me?" Evan grinned as she looked up at the slightly taller male, "Well, we've gotta go back to the others."

That's how they found themselves creeping to the prison's fence. Rick used wire-cutters, before he sneaked inside, he held the fence open so the others could get through. Once the last of them was in, Glenn used electrical wire to sew it back together, keeping it in place. The flesh-eating creatures noticed the newcomers and they started slowly dragging their feet in the direction of the group. However, Rick's people started running to the entrance of the courtyard, which confused the monsters. They halted, ready for Rick to tell them the plan. The sheriff glanced at the gate, "We've gotta shut the gate, then we can take out the ones in the courtyard, otherwise they would keep getting through." Glenn nodded as he met the man's gaze, "I can make a run for it, I'm the fastest." Maggie shook her head frantically, "No, no way. That's a suicide run." "I'm going." Daryl turned to face Evan, ready to protest, but he was stopped by Rick, "You're not going alone." He looked around the prison's property before he started giving out orders, pointing to specific parts of the prison, "Maggie, Glenn, Beth, go over there and try to draw as many as you can over, pop them through the fence. Daryl and Carol, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot, but take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower." He looked back at Evan and held her gaze as he nodded his head, "We're gonna run for the gate, cover each other up." Everything was settled. 

Daryl gave Evan's head a quick kiss before he ran after Carol, heading for the tower. Once everyone was at their assigned post, Evan checked her gun, making sure it was loaded, her crossbow and was already slung over her back. She turned to face Rick as she smiled, excitement clear on her features, "You ready, officer friendly?" Rick chuckled as he nodded, "Let's get it over with, punk." Lori looked at the two and nodded, "Be safe." With that, she slid the gate open and let the two slip out, closing it behind their backs. Rick and Evan were able to sneak up for a good few feet before the walkers noticed them. Evan aimed her gun, covering the left where Rick stayed next to her and Rick covered right. Rick looked up towards the tower Daryl and Carol were on, sending a grateful nod in the redneck's direction when a bolt took out a walker that was way too close to Daryl. Just a few steps later, he glared at the tower, since Carol not so accidentally shot at his feet, causing him to jump. The older woman grinned as she readjusted her aim, "Sorry!"

They reached the gate, the task almost over. Evan quickly made a run for it, jumping into the air slightly as she kicked back a walker. Rick chained the gate shut while Evan covered him with her remaining bullets. Once he was finished, they both stumbled inside the tower and slammed the door shut behind their back. Evan's breath was slightly labored and so was Rick's as he grinned widely. The archer grinned back before she slapped his back, close to his bottom, playfully and ran up the stairs, taking her crossbow off her back, the sheriff right behind her. Once they reached the top, they started shooting at the walkers. Not long after, there was only one left. Rick and Evan glanced at each other and nodded. Rising their weapons, they took aim and fired at the same time. The bullet and arrow pierced the head of the monster, causing the undead body to fall to the ground, this time for good. 

They all quickly piled into the courtyard. Evan ran towards Daryl and she couldn't help but throw her arms around her brother as she let out a joyful laugh, a laugh that made Daryl squeeze her even tighter, lift her in his arms and spin her around. They did it, they actually did it. They were safe.

They ended up building a fire late in the evening after they brought their vehicles in and sat around it in a circle, having dinner. Rick was walking around the fence, his rifle in his hands. Daryl was standing on top of one of the vehicles, keeping watch. Carol, who previously sat next to Evan, fixed a plate. She looked at Evan as she rolled her eyes, "If I don't bring him food, he's not going to eat." Evan chuckled as she nodded, "You're right. Thanks, Carol." The woman nodded, leaning down to kiss the top of Evan's head. After that she straightened up and walked off.

It was a pleasant night. Not too hot and not too cold, just chill enough. The sound of he fire cackling and the beautiful dance of the bright red and orange flames were even better than television. Evan found herself getting lost in the flames until she saw T-Dog laying awkwardly on the ground. She whistled, catching his attention. Patting her thigh, he got the clue and nodded gratefully. Theodor dragged himself on the ground until his head was in Evan's lap. She rested one of her hands on his stomach as he played with her fingers, his eyes wandered around the yard before they landed on something and he chuckled, "What the hell are Carol and your brother doing?" That got Evan's attention and she looked to where the two stayed. Daryl was rubbing Carol's shoulder, nothing unusual. Then, the woman turned to him, shifting from side to side, Evan saw Daryl scoff. The two ended up laughing briefly before Daryl crouched down slightly, ready to get down on the ground... Then the woman poked his ribs and he let out a strangled yelp that was loud enough for Evan to hear as he jumped from the vehicle, disappearing from sight. Evan put her forehead on Theodor's chest as she laughed quietly, the man wasn't any better.

The two calmed down by the time Beth started singing. Her voice was beautiful, angelic. She was singing The Parting Glass, which was one of Evan's favorites. She allowed her eyes to shut as she smiled softly, the fire kissed her cheeks, warming her up. The warm radiating off the fire mixed with one of the songs she loved sent her on a trip down to pure Nirvana. Evan didn't realize when her lips opened and she, herself, had started singing, joining Beth and Maggie, "But since it falls unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not. I'll gently rise and I'll softly call, good night and joy be with you all. Good night and joy be with you all..." It wasn't until the sound of the fire cackling was the only source of sound that Evan opened her eyes, embarrassment clear on her features as she blushed to the tip of her nose. All eyes were on her, slight surprise on everyone's faces. Daryl, however, looked at her with something warm in his eyes. That warmth made its way deep inside Evan's heart and then, she knew.

She really was at home, as long as Daryl was right by her side.


	21. Cell Block "C"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seems like Rick's people aren't the only ones in the prison...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting SO CLOSE to the Tripple Dixon reunion, ah!   
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! See ya!

Season three

The next day, was time for some spring cleaning. 

Beth, Carl, Carol, Lori and Hershel would stand behind the fence, taking out the walkers from there while Daryl, Evan, Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie would take them out with knives and crossbows. The plan seemed stable and secure, the smell of success was in the air. 

Hershel nodded his head as he grabbed the gate, "Ready?" Earning a nod from Rick, he slid it open and the group slipped through, the elderly man locked it behind their back once again. Walkers started to snarl and groan while the ones on the other side of the fence made a circular formation. Following the plan, they were able to slowly get closer to the second gate, that lead to a part of the prison. Evan drew her crossbow and in sync with her brother, they both knocked bolts into place. Rick mentioned for everyone to hide, their backs pressed against the wall. Walkers wearing SWAT armor started to spill out from behind a dumpster, instantly making Evan feel uneasy. Her crossbow was slightly stronger than her brother's, but she felt like the bolts could only push through the shield and maybe scratch the walkers, they wouldn't do much harm.

One of the walkers in SWAT armor rounded around the corner, giving the twins no time for calculations and questions. Daryl fired, but Evan was right, the only thing the bolt was able to do was crack the shield slightly and nothing else happened. Evan kicked the walker back as she slung the crossbow over her shoulder. She grabbed her knife and tightened her hold around the handle, the others were desperately trying to kill the undead, but to no avail. Then, Maggie drove the knife into the monster's skull from under the chin, causing it to fall to the ground. Her eyes widened and she smiled widely as she nearly jumped into the air from excitement, "Did you see that?" After having discovered the technique, the group started taking out walkers even faster than before, body after body falling to the ground. Rick glanced at the gate before he drove his knife deep in a walker's skull, "Daryl!" The archer pushed through a walker, Evan finished it while her brother went to help Rick close the gate. The two successfully did that and not long after, they were able to finish off the last of the monsters.

Just as Glenn started heading back to the other part of the group, Rick stopped him, "We're not finished." Glenn shrugged as he looked back at their leader, "Looks secure enough." Evan shook her head a she pointed to the body of a woman laying on the ground, "Look, she's civil." T-Dog nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Chances are the inside's filled with walkers from outside the prison." Rick sighed as he nodded, "We've gotta break in." With that, the ex-sheriff started making his way to the entrance of cell block "C". Daryl put his hand on Evan's shoulder as he walked right behind her, "Stay close and keep your eyes on all fours." Rick whistled and Daryl was quick to move to stand next to him. When Rick nodded, Daryl slowly and carefully slid the door open. 

The sight before them wasn't pleasant. The interior reminded Evan of a cave, wet, dark, worn-out, the atmosphere was giving everyone the chills. They walked slow and uncertain, ready to take whatever challenge and threat they had to face. Carefully, they started to explore different sections, Evan stayed close to cover Rick as he walked up the stairs. She squinted, straining her eyes through the darkness when she saw Rick pat down the walker. Her confusion disappeared when the man jingled keys, earning a nod of approval from the blonde. Then, the two climbed down and left the main part of the cell block. Rick unlocked the door that led to the cells and everyone stepped inside. 

There were only two walkers that needed to be taken care of, Daryl and Evan got that job done. Once they dragged the bodies outside, Glenn went to get the others. Evan noticed the skeptical look on Daryl's face while the man glared at the rows of cells. She sighed as she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. They both felt like animals in a cage, but they didn't have a choice. It was the most secure place they have had since the farm and it had potential to become their home. 

The others walked inside, carrying their supplies. Lori raised an eyebrow as she looked around, "Is it secure?" Rick nodded as he toyed with the keys, "This cell block is, I have a set of keys, Daryl's got the other one." He turned his attention to Hershel who asked, "What about the rest of the prison?" The younger man scratched the stubble on his chin as he sighed, "We're gonna leave it for now, we're going to sleep here and clear another cell block in the morning." Beth raised her eyebrows as she looked around at the cells, "We're going to sleep in the cells?" Daryl scoffed as he walked up the stairs, "I ain't sleeping in a cage, I'm taking the perch." Evan hummed as she walked up the stairs, "Wanna share?" Daryl shrugged as he grabbed two mattresses, Evan grabbed the second one and dragged it to the perch, "I shared our ma's womb with ya for nine months, I think we're good." 

Everyone chose a cell while Evan and Daryl put the mattresses on the ground. Evan chuckled as Daryl threw himself down, "We made ourselves a king-sized bed, huh?" Daryl hummed as he closed his eyes, one of his arms was underneath his head, using it as a pillow. Evan grabbed the single blanket she had in her backpack and plopped down next to her brother. Once the two were covered, Daryl grabbed Evan's arm and pulled her closer. She laid her head on his chest while he draped an arm over her middle, half-asleep. She, herself, fell asleep right away.

\- 

The next morning, Rick, Evan, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Hershel and T-Dog started making their way further into the prison. Evan realized she was wrong, cell block C didn't seem that bad once she saw what the rest of the prison looked like. The further you went, the darker and colder it got. They used flashlights, trying to make their way further while Glenn marked the way they went. Evan and Daryl were leading the way alongside Rick, crossbows raised high in alert. 

Everything was going as good as can be, until at least fifteen walkers appeared in front of them from behind the corner. Evan cursed under her breath as she looked over her shoulder, "Walkers! Go back, go back!" The others were quick to do as told, Evan and Daryl stayed in the back, protecting the group. They heard Rick curse as the group quickly changed directions, cutting Maggie and Glenn away from them. Another group of walkers ended up getting in the way. Evan knew Glenn and Maggie could hold on tight for a few minutes, they had to.

Once they had a good lead on the walkers, the group crouched down as they spoke in hushed voices. T-Dog frowned as he looked at the others, "Where are Glenn and Maggie?" He looked at Evan who spoke up, "They're okay, I saw them get into what seemed like a pantry or closet, I ain't too sure." Hershel looked at Rick as he said firmly, "We have to go back." Rick turned to Evan as he asked, "Do you know the way?" Once the blonde nodded, they got back up to their feet and followed her.

The sound of Hershel's scream echoed off the walls of the prison. Rick, T-Dog, Evan and Daryl quickly rounded back around the corner, Rick didn't waste a second to shoot the walker that had bit Hershel. Glenn and Maggie ran towards the group and Glenn helped Rick lift Hershel, Rick grunted slightly as he glanced at Evan, "Evan, you lead, Daryl, take the back!" Not wasting a second more, they ran for their lives, literally. Evan saw a pair of huge, metal doors, they were cuffed shut. That meant it was safe, most likely, they had to be cuffed for a reason. T-Dog used the wire cutters to pry the doors open and everyone piled inside the room. While Rick and Glenn laid Hershel on the floor, putting his head in Maggie's lap, Evan grunted as she pressed her back against the doors, T-Dog helped her, "Daryl, go!" Daryl fell to his knees beside Hershel as Rick took his belt off, the archer put his hands on Hershel's chest, ready to hold him down. The elderly man put his hands on Daryl's back, gripping his vest. After T-Dog shut the doors with a metal pole, Evan joined the others and gripped Hershel's hand with one of her own, the forearm of her free arm was pressed firmly on his torso, helping her brother hold him down. Hershel's screams filled the air as Rick started to chop off his leg, but he ended up losing consciousness because of the pain. With a few strong and firm final swings, Rick finally cut off Hershel's leg. 

Rick shifted to a crouching position as he looked at the man that laid in front of him, "He's bleeding out." Something rattled and Evan glanced up, seeing a group of men standing on the other side of what looked like the cafeteria. She glanced at her brother who returned the look. Daryl nodded his head as he looked back at Rick, "Duck." Rick did as told with no hesitation and the twins shot up, their crossbows raised, ready to shoot.

The prisoners looked terrified. Evan figured out they were, because the first thing one of them said was, "Oh shit." 

Oh shit, indeed.


	22. I Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group comes across some prisoners, Evan spends some bonding time with Carl and Lori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I made it so Evan and Daryl don't have the exact same accent, you're going to see why in the future. Evan's accent only comes out when she's angry or frustrated.   
> Anyways, two-three more chapters and we're gonna get some Merle time! Y'all excited? I am!

Season three 

"Who the hell are you?" 

Evan readjusted her grip on the crossbow as she narrowed her eyes, "Ain't got no time for no introductions." 

Everything around them was hectic. The wheezing sound of Hershel's lungs, the banging on he door from walkers, the rest of their group throwing orders at each other, but nothing could make Evan pry her eyes away from the men in the ugly, faded jumpsuits. The twins kept their hard, cold stares fixed on the prisoners, crossbows loaded, ready to shoot if needed to. Daryl made a moving motion with his crossbow as he whistled lowly, "Why don't ya come out of there?" He hummed when the prisoners started to move, "That's right, slow and steady." 

The one that stepped out first raised his eyebrows when his eyes landed on Hershel, "What happened to him." Evan didn't take it upon herself to answer, she let her brother instead, "He got bit." Panic spread on the "leader's" features as he repeated the sentence, reaching for his gun. T-Dog didn't hesitate to pull out his gun as he stood next to Evan, the blonde spoke up, "Easy now, fells. If I were you, I wouldn't do that. No need for anyone to get hurt." The prisoner from earlier glared at the woman as he sneered, "Who the hell are you people anyway? Don't look like no rescue team." Rick grunted before he spoke up, then Evan realized they had put Hershel on a food stroller, "If a rescue team is what you're waiting for, don't." He nodded his head at T-Dog as gave him an order, "T, the door." The man nodded and did as told while the prisoners argued, but he didn't waste time listening, he simply opened the door and took out the single walker that was in the way. The others pushed the stroller and Rick called out behind his shoulder, "Evan, Daryl, we've gotta go!"

Evan started to head out of the cafeteria but paused when she saw that Daryl wasn't moving. She whistled lowly and her brother snapped, slightly loosening his grip on his crossbow, his knuckled no longer white. With one last glare at the strangers, he glanced at Evan and nodded, then the two ran after the others.

Once they were back in the cell block and Hershel was being lowered on a bed, Evan nudged Daryl and nodded. The two walked to stand a few feet away from the main entrance of the cell block, their backs against the gate that lead to the cells. They knocked bolts into place and raised their crossbows, the sound of footsteps, which Evan assumed were supposed to be quiet, even if they sounded like an elephant in a glass shop, and hushed voices started to come closer. Not even a few moments later, the prisoners started to pile into the cell block, looking around warily. Daryl glared as he spoke up, "That's far enough." The one that spoke up earlier stepped forward, glaring back at Daryl, "Cell block C, cell four, that's mine, Gringo." Evan's gaze became ten times colder as she stepped forward slightly, "You call him that one more time, you're dead." The man scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Let me in and I ain't gonna." Daryl shrugged as his eyes traveled over the men, "Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the State Of Georgia. You're free to go." 

One of the men frowned as he tried to peer behind Evan and Daryl and into the cells, "What you got going on in there?" Daryl sneered as he took a step to the side, blocking the man's view, "It ain't none of your concern." "Don't be telling me what's my concern." Evan raised her voice as she readjusted her aim, aiming for the long-haired man's crotch, "One more word and yer ain't gonna have yer dignity!" The man pulled out his gun and aimed at Evan's forehead, "Let's see what's faster, a bolt or a bullet!" T-Dog appeared out of nowhere, his gun raised and finger on the trigger, "You better put this down right now!" 

Everyone exchanged threats in loud voices, weapons raised and ready to fire. Evan cut herself off mid-sentence when Rick stood to stand next to her, his fingers danced over the handle of the Colt Python that rested over his hip, his blue eyes pierced into the souls of the men that weren't theirs. At the arrival of the group's leader, the one with the long hair asked, "How many of you are in there?" Before he could even finish his sentence, Rick cut him off, giving him a challenging look as he cocked his head to the side slightly, "Too many for you to handle." There was a pause before one of the prisoners asked, "You guys rob a bank or something? Why don't you take him to the hospital?" Evan couldn't help but snort as she tried to sustain her laughter, which caused the gun of the stranger to focus on her, which only led to both Daryl and T-Dog raising their own weapons. Rick raised his hand and Daryl sighed, but he and T-Dog still put their weapons down, leaving Evan the only one with the raised crossbow so both parts could be even. 

Rick stepped forward slightly as he asked, "How long have you been locked in there?" There was a pause before the one with the gun replied, "Going on ten months." the man behind him continued, "There was a riot, never seen anything like it. Attica on speed, man. Ever heard about dudes going cannibal, dying coming back from the death? Crazy." The leader continued, "One guard looked out for us, locked us in the cafeteria, told us to sit tight, threw me this piece, "He mentioned to the gun in his hands, "Said he'd be right back." The man behind him spoke up again, he seemed to be really talkative, "Yeah, and that was two hundred and ninety-four days ago. We were thinking the army or the national guard should be showing up any day now." Rick and Evan glanced at each other before Rick spoke up, Evan finally out the crossbow down, "There's no army. There's no hospitals, no police, no government, it's all gone." Pure disbelief and misery made its way to the prisoners' features, some cursed under their breaths as they ran their hands over their faces. The one with the gun finally put it away as he gave Rick a skeptical look, "Ain't no way." Rick shrugged as he raised an eyebrow, "See for yourself."

Evan stayed behind with the others while Rick, Daryl and T-Dog joined the prisoners and walked outside. She leaned against the bars, her forearms pressed against the metal as she leaned her forehead on her hands, "He okay?" Carol nodded as she kept her hold on Hershel's leg, keeping the sheets and towels there, "It slowed down quite a bit already." Evan glanced at Carl, the small boy stood next to her, peering from behind her and into the cell, Glenn stood on her other side. Lori crouched next to Carol as the two spoke in hushed voices, Beth and Maggie were in the cell, leaning against the wall as they watched their father. Hershel was still unconscious, but alive and that was enough. There was still hope. Evan tried to hide the fact she noticed the way Carl's head shot up at the mention of the infirmary, she knew what the boy had planned. While Lori and Carol were talking, she nudged the boy, getting his attention. He looked up at Evan and the woman gave him a nod, one which the boy returned a few moments later. 

The sound of footsteps got their attention, followed by T-Dog's voice, "Food's here!" Evan pushed herself off the bars and took the keys from Carl, unlocking the gate and letting Rick and Theodor in. She closed it behind them while T-Dog listed the food they had, but she didn't care, she wanted to know why her brother wasn't with them. Rick sensed her uncertainty and he turned to face her, "He's okay, he's watching over the prisoners. We're gonna help them clear out a cell block for themselves and then we're gonna leave them be." Evan nodded as she grabbed one of the boxes from Rick, "Alright. And what are you gonna do if things go to shit?" Rick sighed as he shrugged. Leaving Evan without a reply, he walked to the cell where Hershel was, exchanging a few words with Glenn. He turned his back to the Asian and the boy took the handcuffs from his belt. Then Evan and Rick walked over to the space under the stairs and put down the boxes full of food. Lori walked over to Rick and Evan got the clue, moving to stand next to the gate. Rick and Lori's conversation didn't last for too long though and soon Rick ended up walking over to Evan. He nodded his head at the blonde as he stopped in front of her, "Look after them, T, Daryl and I are going to take care of the prisoners." Evan nodded as she glanced at the ground. Just as Rick was about to walk past her, she grabbed his forearm, causing him to stop. Their eyes met and Evan nodded her head, "If things go to shit, do whatever is necessary." After a small pause Rick returned the nod and walked away.

Evan waited for the others to either go into Hershel's cell or start doing something else before she whistled lowly, catching Carl's attention. She nodded her head and the boy nodded back, with that the two walked out of the cell block and in search of the infirmary. It didn't take them too long to find it, nor it took them long to take care of the walkers and shove everything useful in the duffel bag Carl had grabbed on their way there. They walked back down courtyard, Evan carried the duffel bag as the two walked in silence. She tried to ignore Carl who kept looking up at her every once in a while. She sighed as she glanced at the boy with a small, amused not-smile on her lips, "What?" Carl shrugged as he smiled, kicking a rock with his foot, "I don't know. I just think we're a really good team. Don't you think?" Evan shrugged as she allowed herself to smile. The two fell into peaceful silence as they made their way back inside the prison. Evan whistled, catching Carl's attention. She held out her fist and Carl couldn't help but smile as he bumped her fist with his own.

They walked back inside the cell block and Glenn raised an eyebrow when he saw the two, "I thought you were organizing the food." Evan handed him the duffel bag and he started to look through it, his eyes widened slightly when he saw the medication and bandages, "Yeah, we decided to go shopping." Carol started wrapping up Hershel's leg while Lori's eyes drifted between the two, "Are you two crazy?" She pointed to Hershel, "This could happen to the whole group!" Carl shrugged as he stepped back slightly, "We needed supplies so I got them, I wasn't alone-" Lori glared at Evan, the blonde wasn't phased by it as the pregnant woman snarled, "Why the hell didn't you stop him-" "Get off her back!" Evan looked down at the boy who glared at his mother. Not waiting for Lori to continue, Carl stormed off, disappearing further into the cell block. Evan sighed as she shook her head. She needed some air.

The sun was starting to set, beautiful variations of yellows, oranges and pinks painted the sky, the horizon started to turn different shades, either reflecting the sky or dark shade of black. A slight breeze picked up, but it was warm, making Evan close her eyes as she allowed the last rays of sunshine to kiss her skin goodnight. Her eyes were still closed when she leaned her forehead against the railing of the guard tower, her legs dangled from the balcony, a cigarette was held loosely between her fingers. She decided to keep her eyes closed, even when she heard the sound of the ladder rattling, meaning someone was climbing up. 

"Hey." 

Evan looked over her shoulder and gave Lori a nod of a greeting. The pregnant woman sat down next to the blonde and she couldn't help but smile when the slightly younger of the two immediately put out the cigarette, "I used to smoke when I was pregnant with Carl. You're not going to do any harm if you smoke around me." Evan shrugged as she looked into the distance, leaning her forehead against the railing again, "I'm sure the smell is anything but pleasing." She eyed the woman's baby bump, "How are you feeling?" Lori sighed as she closed her eyes, "With the state Hershel's in and everything... And the fact that I haven't felt the baby kick for for the past few days and Rick..." The brunette took a deep breath as she opened her eyes, Evan couldn't help but give the woman a sympathetic look as she turned a little to face her, "Hey, it's not your fault." Lori shook her head as she chuckled humorlessly, "It is, because even before the wold went to shit, I caught myself looking at Shane in a way I shouldn't." She paused as she wiped away the tear that managed to slip and roll down her cheek slowly, "Even before the world turned to shit, our marriage started falling apart. We just, lost the spark we used to have. We stayed together, for Carl. We stayed together, because I didn't want the lawyer in my yoga class to look at me any different, just because I didn't want the people to think we're not the perfect, happy family everyone thought we were. And here we are now. Rick hates me." 

There was a moment of silence before Lori calmed down. She wiped her eyes before she looked at the setting sun, "One day I'm going to die." Evan started to protest, but Lori cut her off, "I will. Maybe I'm going to die giving birth, maybe I'm going to die because a walker got me, maybe we're going to come across the wrong group of people and I will get killed then, but I will die." She looked at Evan as she gave the woman a firm nod, "I want you to be by Rick's side, no matter what." Evan's eyebrows raised as she felt a ghost of a blush reach her cheeks and the tip of her nose, "What do you mean?" Lori chuckled as she shook her head, "I see the way you look at him, Eve. Your brother, if I didn't know he was straight I would've thought he had the hots for Rick too." That caused both of them to chuckle. Lori smiled warmly as she put a hand on Evan's knee, "Rick needs a person like you. You, you and your brother, he needs the both of you. Daryl's already a better brother to him than Shane ever was and you, Rick looks at you in a way he's never looked at me." Evan glanced at the ground, keeping her eyes away from the brunette's. Lori gave her knee a squeeze before she removed her hand, "Be there for him when I'm not, Evan. Promise me." Evan sighed as she met Lori's gaze again, giving her a firm nod, "I will. I promise."


	23. Killer Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan has to cut Lori open in order to save the baby. It's kinda emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing that chapter was emotionally draining as FUCK. I hope y'all still enjoy it tho.

Season three 

"Okay, let's get the other car in." Rick turned to face the others as he nodded his head, "We'll park 'em in the west entry of the yard." Daryl nodded as he scratched the top of his head, ruffling his hair, "Good, our vehicles camped out there look like a giant "vacancy" sign." Evan nodded as she moved to stand beside Daryl, "After that, we need to load these corpses so we can burn 'em." T-Dog sighed as he looked at the others, "It's gonna be a long day." 

There was a moment of silence before Carol spoke up, "Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help." Evan chuckled as she glanced at the others, "Up in the guard tower." Rick raised an eyebrow as he put his hand on his hip, "Up in the guard tower? They were just up there last night." Daryl cupped his hands around his mouth as he screamed, causing Evan to sigh and shake her head, "Glenn! Maggie!" A few moments later Glenn stepped out on the balcony, shirtless, the zipper of his jeans was undone, "Hey! What's up, guys?" A choir of chuckles erupted as Daryl smirked, "You comin'?" Evan leaned her hands on her knees as she laughed quietly to herself, Glenn asked from the guard tower, "What?" Daryl chuckled quietly before he asked, making his voice a slightly higher pitch, "You comin'?" Everyone laughed when they saw Glenn's face drop. Daryl shook his head as he chuckled, "Come on, we could use a hand!" Evan slapped her knee as she straightened up, "Oh God, please stop, I'm going to pee myself!" Daryl chuckled as he patted her shoulder, then he walked after Rick. Evan started to follow the others, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard T-Dog speak up, "Hey, Rick." 

Evan's eyes shifted from Rick to Axel and Oscar, the only prisoners that were still alive. Rick grunted under his breath as he started walking, "Come with me." The others didn't have to be told twice, they all followed Rick as he started walking to where the men stood. He stopped, the others halted a few paces behind him as Glenn and Maggie walked out of the guard tower, "That's close enough. We had an agreement." The prisoner known as Axel spoke up as he stepped closer, "Please, mister. We know that we made a deal. But you've gotta understand, we can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies -- people we knew. Blood, brains, everywhere. There's ghosts." Evan shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Why don't you move the bodies out? You should be burning them." Oscar was the one to speak up then, "We tried. The fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up. So we dump a body and run back inside." Axel spoke up again as he walked to stand directly in front of Rick, "Look, we had nothing to do with Thomas and Andrew! Nothing. You tried to prove a point? You proved it, bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be a part of your group. Just please, please. Don't make us live in that place." Rick sighed as he glanced at the ground before he shook his head, "Our deal is not negotiable. You either live in your cell block or you leave." They turned their attention to Oscar who spoke up again, "I told you this was a waste of time. They ain't no different than the pricks who shot our boys. You know how many friends' corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw 'em out. These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint, like Thomas and Andrew. " He moved to stand closer to Rick as he looked the man straight in the eyes, "We've all made mistakes to get in here, chief. And I ain't gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me, we've paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit the road than go back in the shithole."

Rick sighed as his eyes traveled over the two prisoners. He looked over his shoulder, looking at Daryl and Evan. The twins shook their heads slowly in almost perfect sync and the matter was settled. Not even two minutes later, Evan and Daryl locked the gate once the prisoners were outside the fence, then they walked back to where the rest of the group was standing. T-Dog sighed as he shrugged, talking to Rick, "I don't know, man. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves." Carol sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself, "I don't know. Alex seems unstable. After all we've been through? What if they decide to take it?" Maggie shook her head as she frowned, "It's just been so long. They're strangers. It feels weird, all of a sudden to have these new people around." T-Dog cocked his head to the side as he faced the farmer's daughter, "But you brought us in." She shook her head, "Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms. Didn't give us a choice." Glenn shrugged as he spoke up, "They can't even kill walkers." Carol nodded as she continued, "They're convicts, bottom line." T-Dog stepped forward as he looked at Rick, "These two might have less blood on their hands than we do." 

"I get guys like this." The others looked at Daryl who bit his lip before he continued, "Hell, Evan and I grew up with them. " Evan nodded as she moved to stand closer to her brother, "They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. Daryl and I could have been with them as easy as we are out her with you, guys." The twins looked at T-Dog who gave them a hopeful look, "So you're with me?" Daryl scoffed as he shook his head, "Hell no. Let 'em take their chances out on the road - just like we did." T-Dog started to protest, but Rick cut him off, "When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid. Wanted for stabbing his girlfriend. The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trial -- suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and in two weeks later, he shot another girl." He glanced at the ground as he he nodded firmly, then he looked back at the group, "Our deal with them stands." 

Rick started walked towards the gate where the vehicles were parked, Glenn ran ahead to open it, "Move the cars to the upper yard, point facing out. They'll be out of the way, but ready if we need to bail." Evan elbowed her brothers as she outstretched her hand, "Mind if I have the honor?" He shrugged as he gave her the keys and she walked over to the motorcycle. Axel whistled as she threw her leg over the machine and straddled it, "Hot damn. Twin cylinder. Isn't that a Triumph?" She gripped the handlebars as she scoffed, "Don't even look at it." Evan ignored Alex who continued to blabber some bullshit and she couldn't help but roll her eyes in Daryl's direction as she passed him. 

Evan helped a part of the group move the vehicles while Rick, Glenn and Daryl went for some firewood. She made a moving motion with her hand, guiding Carol. She whistled as she spread her palm and the woman stopped the vehicle and stepped out. She wiped sweat from her forehead, looking around aimlessly, then a smile spread on her face when she noticed Hershel, Lori, Carl and Beth. Nudging Maggie with her elbow, she mentioned with her head to Hershel who was limping slow and steady. She smiled as she walked in the elderly man's direction, "Wanna race, Hershel?" The man smiled as he scoffed, "Give me a couple of days. Then I will take you home." Evan halted in front of Hershel and gave the man a quick hug. They pulled back and Evan looked at Rick and her brother with a smile on her face. Her smile fell when she saw the terrified expressions on their faces. Then she heard the snarls and groans.

Removing her crossbow from where it rested on her shoulder, she knocked a bolt in place and fired. She cursed under her breath as she slung her crossbow back over her shoulder and grabbed her gun instead, she didn't have time to reload. She could hear Daryl's panicked voice calling out her name, but the rush of blood in her ears blocked out her hearing. She looked to her side to see Carl shooting right along with her and a part of her felt like they were having some quality bonding time. Just as she took down another walker, Maggie and Lori's voices caught her attention, "Evan, Carl! Over here!" Evan put a hand on Carl's shoulder as she ran to where the two women were standing. The four ran inside the prison, closing the metal door behind them.

Walkers threw themselves at the four, empty eyes and spread out arms. Evan made sure she stayed close to Lori who had started to grunt and gasp in pain while Maggie and Carl led the way. Evan kicked away a walker as she grabbed Lori and started dragging her along, her voice was raised so the brunette could hear her over the noise, "What's wrong?" Lori tightened her grip on Evan as she looked at the blonde with a frightened expression, "The baby. I think it's coming." Evan cursed under her breath when they had to do a harsh turn, at least a dozen walkers blocked their way. Maggie and Evan made Lori wrap her arms over their shoulders while Carl ran ahead. Carl looked behind his back as he exclaimed, "Over here!" The four were quick to run inside the boiler room, Carl closed the door behind them while Maggie and Evan leaned Lori against the wall. 

Maggie walked Lori further into the boiler room and started preparing her for giving birth while Evan grabbed Carl's shoulders and crouched down to be eye level with the boy, "Listen here, honey, I'm gonna need you to be brave, okay? This is scary, but Maggie's gonna have to help Lori give birth, we can't get Lori to Hershel with the alarms and walkers, I'm sorry, okay? You need to stay calm." Carl nodded as Evan gave the boy a reassuring kiss on the top of his head. She pulled back and helped Lori stand up, the woman decided to push. Evan put a hand on the brunette's back as she rubbed it, trying to comfort Lori while she pushed, "Come on, sweetheart, you're doing great. Come on." Lori paused for a second as she took deep breaths, "How is it?" Maggie shook her head from her position next to Evan behind Lori, she was crouching down on the ground, looking for disclosure, "You're gonna have to push again, there's nothing. Come on." Lori started to push and Maggie's panicked voice filled their ears, "Lori, stop, something's wrong!" Lori screamed out in pain and Evan turned white as a sheet when she saw the blood that coated Maggie's hand.

Lori's feet gave out from beneath her but Evan was able to grab her before she fell to the ground. Maggie and Evan both lowered her to the cold floor as Carl knelt beside his mother, "Mom? Mom, look at me, look at me, keep your eyes open." Maggie stood between Lori's legs as the woman fought to keep her eyes open, "We have to get you to dad." Lori shook her head as she gulped, "I'm not gonna make it." Maggie took a hold of her hand as she begged, "Lori, we have to, with all this blood, I don't think you're even dilated yet and no amount of pushing is going to help." Evan reached for her crossbow as she got to her feet, "I'll go for help-" "No!" Lori grunted as she reached a hand out for Evan, "Stay here, I need you." Evan shook her head as she tried to pry Carl's fingers away from her wrist, "I can go for help, the alarm stopped." "Mom needs you here!" The desperation in Carl's voice made Evan stop fighting. She looked down at the boy who nodded his head firmly, "Please stay."

Evan knelt down beside Maggie as Lori spoke to the farmer's daughter, "You have to cut me open. One of you has to. I-I'm not gonna make it, my baby, my baby has to survive for all of us." Maggie sobbed as she shook her head frantically, "I can't! I just can't!" Lori cried out in pain as she clutched her stomach, "Maggie, please!" Maggie fell into a full-on panic episode. Evan cursed under her breath as she put her hands on Maggie's shoulders, "I-I will do this. It's okay." Maggie was quick to crawl away, Carl ended up wrapping his arms around the girl, they both needed comfort. Evan pulled her knife from her belt as she threw her crossbow off her back, her hand shook as she readjusted her grip on the handle, "Lori, the alarms stopped, we can still get you to Hershel." Lori shook her head as she took deep, wheezing breaths, "No, I'm slipping away, Eve. I want this, I do. I'm ready." She groaned again, the pain she was feeling must have been unbearable. Lori reached her hand up as she mentioned for her son to come closer, "Carl, baby, I don't want you to be scared. This is what I want. This is right. You have to take care of your daddy for me, alright? And your little brother or sister, take care of them." She caressed his cheek, wiping away the tears that trailed down Carl's face, "You're gonna be fine, you're gonna beat this world. I know you will, you're smart, and you are strong, and you are so brave, and I love you." Lori allowed a sob to leave her mouth when Carl nuzzled his head into her chest, "I love you too!" The boy pulled back and Lori smiled up at him through her tears, "You're my sweet boy, the love of my life, the best thing that happened to me and I love you, okay? Remember how much I love you, remember that I'm always going to be by your side, okay? I love you." 

Once Carl moved away, Lori lifted her shirt, revealing her scar, "Eve, you see my old C-section scar?" Evan nodded as she took a deep breath, her knuckles were white as she gripped the handle of the knife. She didn't realize she had tears streaming down her face until Lori spoke up, "Evan, Eve, it's okay." The brunette smiled as she nodded, "Look out for them. Look out for them as if they're your own, like you promised. Thank you, Eve, for everything." Evan leaned down and kissed Lori's forehead, "I promise. I am so sorry. I promise." Evan straightened up as she took a deep breath, Lori closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, "I'm ready. It's okay, I'm ready."

Evan dragged the knife along Lori's scar, the screams of agony filled the entire room and almost silenced Maggie and Carl's sobs. Lori's head lulled to the side and she fell quiet, her eyes slipped closed. Maggie finally calmed down enough to help Evan, the two made sure the cut was clear so she didn't cut the baby. A few minutes later, Evan pulled out the baby and it turned out to be a girl. She cursed under her breath when she didn't cry. Turning it over, she gently patted her back, a sigh of relief escaped her when the newborn cried out, meaning air filled her lungs. Carl was quick to take off his jacket and Evan thanked him as she wrapped the small babygirl in it. She handed her to Maggie and the two got up, Evan grabbed her crossbow and started heading for the door, Maggie right behind her. The two stopped dead in their tracks when they heard it, the sound of a gun. Carl had put Lori down.

The three ran down the halls and finally they made it to the exit of the cell block. Evan pushed the door open as she walked out first, all eyes were on her. Rick's eyes widened when he saw Maggie and Carl behind her. He started walking slowly to the three, dropping the axe he was holding as his voice got thick with tears, "Where - Where is she?" Evan looked at the ground as the crossbow slowly fell from her fingers, Maggie started to sob even harder. Rick walked past the two women and Evan felt as tears started to slip from her eyes and roll down her cheeks freely, the sound of the man's cries filled her ears and broke her heart. She didn't even realize when her legs carried her over to where Daryl stood and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing while her entire body shook. 

She was a killer.


	24. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick takes Evan on a walker killing spree, Daryl has some bonding time with Lil' ass-kicker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda emotional, I know, BUT y'all have NO idea how EXCITED I am! Two more chapters and we're gonna have some Merle time, NOT ONLY THAT, but we will also go down my own, original plot line!  
> Also, I saw a snippet from Season ten Episode eleven and I just wanna say, Daryl and Judith are the best duo in The Walking Dead. Daryl deserves an Uncle Of The Year award, jeez.  
> *SPOILER* I can say the same for Merle. You'll see soon.  
> NOW, let's move on with the chapter!

Season three 

"Rick? Rick." Daryl snapped his fingers in front his best friend's face, he was unresponsive. The slightly younger of the two tried again, his voice was softer than normal, "Hey. Rick, you with me?" 

Carl took the babygirl from Maggie and walked over to Hershel so he could see if everything was alright. Evan heard voices, but it seemed as if they were distant and underwater. Nothing was clear. She didn't even realize that she was being pulled to her feet from her place on the ground where she used to sit with her back against the wall until Daryl's panicked voice filled her ears, "Rick, what are you doing?!" Evan blinked a few times as she regained her focus, Rick had his fingers wrapped around her wrist and was pulling her back to the prison. Evan outstretched her hand as she looked back at Daryl who's eyes were filled with fear, "Brother, I'm okay, don't worry!" Before Daryl could say anything, the metal door slammed shut behind them. Rick released her wrist as he readjusted his hold on the axe, "Show me where it happened. Do you have your knife?" Evan nodded as she grabbed her knife from her belt, her crossbow was in the courtyard. 

Evan led Rick towards the boiler room, she only needed to use her knife once or twice, Rick had turned into a full on walker killing machine. She went to make a turn down the corridor towards the room, but Rick grabbed the back of her shirt, "Not yet." He shoved her down the opposite direction, more walkers started to lung themselves at the two. Evan grunted as one of the walkers latched its arms around her, however Rick slammed his axe into its skull before it could bite her. Evan tried to silence the whimper that left her mouth when she felt a stinging sensation on her shoulder. She didn't stop to check out the source of the pain, instead something in her snapped and she readjusted her hold on the knife. Her and Rick started moving in perfect sync. One of the walkers who they thought was dead grabbed Rick's leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Evan didn't hesitate to drive her knife through his skull, then she outstretched her hand. Rick looked at it and for a second, his eyes seemed to regain their soft, baby blue color before they turned the cold, ice blue. He nodded firmly as he grabbed her hand and got back to his feet.

The two stated heading further into the prison when they heard a voice behind them, "Rick? Eve?" Evan looked over her shoulder and relief washed over her when she saw Glenn. She gulped when Rick wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tightened his grip, his glare seemed to turn ten times colder. Glenn raised his hands slowly as he took a few steps closer, "Rick, let Evan go. Okay? It wasn't her fault, Maggie told me, Evan did what was necessary." Glenn glanced at Evan as he gave a reassuring nod before he turned his gaze back to Rick, "You don't have to do this alone. You don't. Our cell block is cleared, we just have to close off all the doors again." He stepped closer as he continued, Evan felt Rick's grip on her wrist loosen as the boy continued, "Rick, let Evan go. Why don't you let her go and we three can go back, huh? Okay?" Before Evan could blink, Rick let her go and slammed Glenn against the wall, his forearm pressed against the boy's neck. Evan's eyes widened as she stepped closer to Rick slowly and put a hand on his shoulder, "Let him go, Rick. I-I will go with you, okay? Let him go. He didn't do anything." Rick looked over his shoulder and Evan nodded slowly. There was a small pause before Rick let Glenn go and stepped back, further into the corridor, "Where is she?" Evan sighed as she glanced at the ground before she met the man's gaze again, "Boiler room." Rick nodded one last time before he started walking away, "I don't want anyone to follow me." 

Glenn waited until Rick was out of sight before he turned to Evan and pulled her into a hug. Evan hugged him back as she hid her face in the crook of his neck, "Is everyone okay?" Glenn nodded as he pulled back a little, keeping her at arm's length, "Yeah, everyone is okay. Maggie and your brother went on a run for formula, Hershel, Beth and Carl are taking care of the baby." His eyes widened as he removed his hand from Evan's shoulder and saw that it was covered in blood. Cursing under his breath, he grabbed her hand and started dragging her over to their cell block, "Shit, what happened?!" Evan barely kept up with his pace as she ran, allowing Glenn to drag her, "A walker almost got me, Rick must have grazed me with the axe."

They reached the cell block, quickly slamming the door shut behind them. Glenn still held Evan's hand as the two ran to where Hershel sat. Hershel's eyes widened and he grabbed his crutches as he got up from his seat, "Take her to my cell, the medical supplies are there." Glenn nodded as the two stormed inside the cell, Hershel right behind them. Evan sat down on Hershel's bed and allowed Glenn to take off her flannel shirt, leaving her in her tank top. Glenn ripped one of the straps, revealing the cut underneath. Hershel started checking it and he looked Evan in the eyes, "It's not a scratch, it's just a cut. You're going to need stitches though." He glanced at Glenn and Glenn nodded, he started looking through the duffel bag for the needed items. Once he found the needle and thread, along with tweezers, Hershel nodded his thanks. He cleaned the wound and Evan couldn't help but grunt under her breath, even water made the cut sting. Hershel started stitching her up as he sighed, "I would recommend you don't use your crossbow, which is in the cell next to mine, don't worry, but since I know you, I know you're not going to listen to me. You're lucky the cut isn't that bad and it's closer to your shoulder blade, if it was towards the collarbone then there's no way I would let you shoot. Once I'm done I'm going to wrap it up in some gauze and I recommend you stay inside the prison for the next few days. We still don't know if it's going to get infected, I want you to tell me if you feel like you have a fever or even a headache, the slightest bit of discomfort and you tell me, alright?" Evan nodded and Hershel nodded back. He finished up the stitching and wrapped some bandage around arm, over her shoulder. Once he was finished, he grabbed Evan's hand and gave it a squeeze, "It's a relief to know that you're okay." Evan smiled as she nodded her head, squeezing Hershel's hand before she got up and walked out of the cell, disappearing into one on the second storey. 

Evan sat in the cell, waxing her bolts and arrows until she heard commotion from the main part of the cell block. She frowned slightly as she put her crossbow on the mattress and got up. Walking out of the cell, she made her way down the stairs and walked to the entrance of the cells. Leaning against the wall, Evan wrapped her arms around herself as she smiled softly. Daryl was cradling the babygirl in his arms as he fed her formula, a wide smile was on his face as he looked down at the small human. He looked up, his smile was still on his face as he looked around at the others in the room. Evan was thankful that he didn't notice the bandage on her shoulder. Daryl looked down at Carl as he asked softly, "She got a name yet?" Carl shook his head as he glanced at the ground, "Not yet..." The boy bit his lip as he looked at the ground, "But I was thinking maybe Sophia. Then there's Carol, too. And Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia..." He took a deep, shaky breath as he shrugged, "Or Lori, I don't know." The babygirl hummed softly as she continued to suck on the bottle which caught Daryl's attention. He smiled softly as he rocked her gently, "You like that, huh? Little ass-kicker." His smile got even bigger when he heard Carl chuckle. He looked around at the others as he shrugged, "Right?" He looked down at the baby again as he hummed, "Right? That's a good name, right? Little ass-kicker?" The baby hummed again and he chuckled, "You like that, huh? You like that, sweetheart?" 

Daryl continued to rock the baby even after it was fed. He sat down with his back against the wall while he held the babygirl in his arms, close to his chest. Evan sat next to him with her head on his shoulder as she looked at the small bundle of joy. Daryl hummed under his breath and Evan couldn't help but smile when she realized it was the lullaby their own mother used to sing to them. Her smile only got bigger when her brother turned slightly and kissed the top of her head.

Lori's death was something that Evan would carry with her to the grave. But looking at the small baby and knowing that it was what Lori wanted made things a little bit easier.


	25. Newcomer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Daryl are the best aunt and uncle Carl could ask for. Rick starts to act normal again, he's coming back to his old self. A mysterious woman appears on the other side of the fence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me some Rick/Evan ; Evan/Daryl/Carl bonding time.  
> Also, ONE MORE CHAPTER AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME GOOD OL' PAL MERLE TIME!!!! Yeah, I'm pretty excited, whoop.

Season three 

The next morning the group sat in the main part of the cell block, scattered all over the place. Evan sat next to her brother on the steps, Oscar stood next to the steps as he leaned against the railing. Carl, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie and Beth sat together at the small, round, metal table. Beth was feeding the babygirl, Carl pushed the oatmeal in his bowl with his spoon, seemingly having no appetite. Evan understood him. The only reason she pushed the spoonfuls into her mouth and swallowed the food was because she knew she had to, otherwise Hershel would tie her to a tree or something. 

Her eyes moved to the entrance when Rick pushed the door open, stopping after he stepped a few feet in. His eyes traveled around the others, landing on Hershel, "Is everybody okay?" Hershel nodded as he looked up at Rick from his seat at the table, "We are. What about you?" Rick's gaze turned to the ground as he nodded, "I cleaned out the boiler block." His head snapped to look at Daryl who spoke up, "How many were in there?" Shrugging, Rick put his hand on his hip, "I don't know, a dozen, two dozen. Lost count." He put his hand on the back of Carl's neck protectively and gave a soft squeeze before he let go, "I have to go back. Came here to check on Carl." Glenn shot up from his seat as he spoke up, "Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies." He reached his hand, ready to put it on Rick's forearm but their leader visibly flinched as he stepped away, "You don't have to-" "No, I do." Rick looked at Glenn one last time before he walked over to where Daryl and Evan were sitting, Evan looked at the ground, she didn't want to meet the man's gaze, to see the cold stare again. Her brother and Rick exchanged a few words and before anyone could stop him, Rick slammed the door shut behind his back, disappearing further into the prison.

After they finished their breakfast, Daryl, Evan, Oscar and Carl went down to the tombs. Evan made sure to stay close to Carl while her brother led the way. Oscar stayed behind. The four walked around slowly, checking the rooms and cells for walkers. Oscar frowned when one of the doors swayed slightly, "Guys, over here." Daryl shrugged as he glanced at the door, poking it with his finger a few times, "We must have missed it while we were clearing." He shrugged again as he gnawed at his bottom lip, "Seems like one, maybe two. Don't seem to be puttin' on much of a fight. Let's go on, we can take 'em out on our way back." Oscar nodded and they started walking again.

Daryl whistled when he noticed Carl wasn't moving, "Come on." The boy nodded as he followed after the two, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. Evan and Daryl both slowed down their pace and shared a glance. Daryl searched Evan's eyes as he nodded slowly. She knew what that meant. She returned the nod. Daryl glanced at the boy before he flashed his light towards the corner, "Y'know," He mentioned with his head towards Evan who pushed open a door slightly, checking for walkers, "our mom, she liked her wine. She liked to smoke in bed, Virginia Slims." Carl glanced at the man before his gaze returned to the ground, but he was listening, "Eve and I were playing with the kids from the neighborhood, we could do that with Merle gone. They had bikes, we didn't." He chuckled humorlessly, "Hell, we barely had anything." He glanced at his sister before he continued, "We heard sirens getting louder. They jumped on their bikes, ran after it, y'know, "He peered inside a room, it was clear. He continued walking, glancing at Carl who looked back up at him, "hoping to see something worth seeing. Eve and I ran after them, but we couldn't keep up. We ran around a corner and we saw our friends looking at us." He glanced at his sister, "Everyone was looking at us." He gulped as he shined his flashlight down the corridor, "Fire trucks everywhere... People from the neighborhood. It was our house they were there for." Evan glanced down at Carl who grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly, the boy remained quiet as Daryl continued, "It was our mom in bed. Burned down to nothing." He glanced at the kid briefly, his eyes landed on Evan and Carl's joined hands, "That was the hard part, y'know... She was just gone. Erased. Nothing left of her." He paused as he took a deep breath, "People said it was better that way. I don't know... Just made it seem like it wasn't real." 

Evan felt Carl squeeze her hand harder as he halted, his eyes glued to the ground, "I shot my mom." Daryl stopped too as he turned to face Carl. The young boy kept his gaze on the ground for a little bit longer before he continued, his eyes met Daryl's, "She was out. Hadn't turned yet. I ended it. It was real." He sighed as he glanced at the ground and nodded, "Sorry about your mom." Daryl stepped closer slightly as he bowed his head, catching Carl's eyes again, "I'm sorry about yours." He put his hand on Carl's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Then he stepped back as he sighed, "Come on." 

The four continued down the corridors, flashing their flashlights and checking the cells and rooms. Evan frowned when she heard Oscar cheer quietly, "Oh, that's what I'm talking about!" She looked over her shoulder to see Oscar disappear into one of the rooms. The twins exchanged a glance and Daryl shrugged as he followed Carl inside, Evan did too. She chuckled when she saw Oscar kneeling down in the corner, cradling blue slippers in his hands, "What the hell do you need slippers for, man?" Oscar looked at her in disbelief as he held the slippers to his chest, "Y'know. End of the day." He wiggled his eyebrows, "Relaxing." The others chuckled, Daryl shook his head as he glanced at the ground. Their smiles fell from their faces when their heard a snarl, close to Daryl's right. The man let out a startled, high pitched yelp as he turned around and kicked the walker away. The four pulled out their weapons and fired, two bullets and two arrows pierced its forehead in perfect sync, causing it to fall to the ground, dead for good. Evan chuckled as Daryl took a few deep breaths then he huffed out, "Alright." He glanced at Evan and Carl who exchanged looks, clearly holding back laughter. He turned to Oscar and rolled his eyes when he saw the man was the same, "Y'all are a bunch of jerks." Evan chuckled as she looked down at the walker. Her smile quickly fell from her face when she saw the familiar, black handle, "Hey." She crouched down as she grabbed the handle, slowly pulling the knife from the throat of the walker. She straightened back up as she gave the knife to Daryl. Daryl's jaw clenched as he nodded, "That's Carol's knife." He took a deep breath as he turned to face Evan and Oscar, "Can y'all take Carl back to the others?" Carl spoke up as he looked up at Daryl, "Dee, you don't have to do all the heavy lifting." The blue-eyed man looked down at the boy, his expression visibly softened. He sighed as he nodded, "Same goes for you." He tipped the boy's hat as he smiled slightly, "Come on, I've got this." 

Fifteen minutes later, Carl was back to pushing oatmeal around with his spoon. Evan sat next to him as she played with one of her knives, talking to Beth quietly. Hershel sat on the other table, holding the babygirl in his arms. Evan cut herself off mid-sentence when she caught something from the corner of her eye. Looking towards the entrance of the cell block, Evan let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Rick closed the door behind himself, stepping inside almost shyly. He locked eyes with Evan and gave her a nod, one which she didn't hesitate to return. He looked behind the blonde woman and took a shaky breath when his eyes landed on Hershel and his daughter. Taking shy and uncertain steps, Rick walked over to the elderly man. Hershel smiled warmly as he put the babygirl in Rick's arms, the man held her as if she could break at any given moment. Evan, Carl and Beth got up from the table and turned around, looking at the beautiful, heart-touching sight in front of them. Rick chuckled through tears as he looked at the precious bundle of joy in his arms. He brought the baby closer to his chest as he kissed the top of her head, then he smiled over at Evan. Evan couldn't help but smile back as she wrapped her arms around herself. That was the Rick she knew.

Rick looked at the others as he readjusted his hold on his daughter, "Wanna take her out, huh? She needs some light, some fresh air." Everyone agreed so they followed Rick down the halls towards the exit. They stepped outside and Rick closed his eyes when he felt the sun kiss his skin, he had spent quite some time inside in the tombs. He opened his eyes as he halted and looked back down at his daughter, his eyes were filled with joy and love when he smiled. Glancing at Carl, he looked at Evan who stood right next to him, "Doesn't she look just like Carl?" Evan chuckled as she nodded and lifted Carl's hat to ruffle his hair. The boy groaned as he readjusted his hat, she smiled down at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at Rick and her smile disappeared slowly when she saw he was looking off into the distance. Following his line of sight, she cursed under her breath when she saw it. Rick turned to his son, lowering the babygirl in his arms carefully, "You got her?" Carl hummed a positive response as he took his sister in his arms. Rick looked at Evan and he didn't even have to ask, she was already pulling her crossbow from her shoulder as she gave him a nod, knocking a bolt into place. He nodded back and drew his gun. With that the two went down to investigate.

They moved down the courtyard, their weapons at their sides, but still loaded and ready to shoot if needed. Evan glanced at Rick as she kept her voice low, "That doesn't look good." Rick hummed in response as the two halted a safe distance from the fence. On the other side of the double fences, stood a woman, desperation clear in her eyes. However, her eyes didn't catch Evan's attention. What did, though, was the basket full of canned food and baby formula she had clutched in her hand.


	26. Asian Boy With A Pretty Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michonne arrives, the boys go to Woodbury. Worst part is, Evan has to stay behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT CHAPTER IS MERLE TIME Y'ALL!!!! Finally!  
> By the way, I loved the new episode! Phenomenal acting, heart-touching plot line, I'm excited to see what's gonna happen next!   
> Now, let's move on with the chapter!

Season three

Evan couldn't get her eyes off of the red basket full of canned food and formula. It was as if it was calling her name, trying to lure her in. She didn't have that much time to ponder on what it could all mean though, because before she knew it, the walkers around the woman started to snarl and slowly turn in on her, noticing her. The stranger cursed under her breath as she pulled her katana from its holder on her back and started cutting the walkers' heads off as if she was cutting grass. Evan found that impressive, but they didn't have time for congratulations or anything. 

Evan took aim and fired off, an arrow pierced the head of a walker close to the woman. She knocked another arrow into place as she looked at Rick, "Sorry boss, I know we ain't taking in new people, but we've gotta do something." She aimed again and took down another walker, noticing that the woman seemed to get weaker and weaker with each passing second. Rick sighed as he made sure his revolver was fully loaded before he nodded, "Make a run for the gate, go get her in." Evan nodded and didn't waste a second more as she ran towards the gate, taking down another walker while the sound of Rick's gun and loud voice filled her ears, "Move over to the gate, nice and steady! When you reach my girl, drop the katana, don't try anything!" Evan slung the gate open when the woman started getting closer. She cursed under her breath when the stranger crumbled to the ground. Looking over her shoulder, she grabbed her knife from her belt as she shouted over her shoulder at Rick, "Cover me!" Rick tried to stop her but Evan already had her knife driven into the skull of the walker that was close to the unconscious woman. She grabbed one of her arms and slung it over her shoulder, making the stranger lean all of her weight on her. Rick fired off a few times as he made a run for it, grabbed the basket while Evan grabbed the katana. They ran back inside, Evan dragged the woman along while Rick locked the gate. Once he made sure the lock was done, he gave Evan the basket while he took the woman, "Well, I guess it's time I go back to my questioning days." Evan chuckled as she shook her head, following him back to the prison. 

Hershel, Carl and Beth followed Evan and Rick back inside the prison. Rick ordered the kids to give him water and a towel, along with a blanket while he lowered the woman to the ground. Evan kicked her sword a safe distance away from its owner before she crouched down next to Rick, "I think it would be better if I clean her up, maybe she won't freak out as much to see another woman." Rick nodded as he handed Evan the wet towel. She nodded her thanks and started wiping the woman's neck and chest, Rick stood next to her to cover her if anything happened. All of a sudden, the woman tried to lay a punch on Evan, but she ducked fast enough, cursing under her breath when she felt the stitches on her shoulder blade pull. She grabbed both of the woman's hands and pinned her hands above her head, "Listen here, we ain't gonna hurt you, unless you try something stupid and it's better if you don't, because we're a tight community over here." 

"Rick?" Evan looked over her shoulder to see her brother leaning against the gate that led to the cells. He frowned when his eyes landed on Evan and the other woman, "What the hell is this?" Rick leaned his elbow on Evan's good shoulder which happened to be on his side as he leaned forward, rising his eyebrow at the stranger, "What's your name?" The woman stayed quiet as her glare moved back and forth from Evan to Rick. Before Rick could ask again, Daryl spoke up, "Y'all need to come in here." Rick turned to Evan and she nodded, "I've got her, go check it out." Rick nodded as he patted Evan's shoulder before he stood up to his feet, "Carl, get the bag." The boy nodded as he grabbed the basket and the bag while his father grabbed the katana. He showed it to the stranger who was now in a sitting position, Evan crouched down next to her, giving her some space, "We're going to keep this safe and sound. You're safe here. I repeat, don't do anything stupid." With that, he gave Evan one last nod before he disappeared into the cells. Daryl glared at the stranger before he locked the gate and walker further into the cells.

Evan glanced at the woman as she got up and walked to the gate to peer inside. A smile curled at the corners of her face when she saw Rick hugging Carol. It was a miracle and a relief to know that she was alive after two days of hiding somewhere in the tombs. Her smile fell slowly as she turned around, leaning her back against the wall and facing the woman who watched her every move like a hawk, "You see the people behind me? These are my family." She mentioned to the woman's gunshot wound, "We can take care of that, we have a doctor. But you've gotta cooperate. One step in the wrong direction and I'm gonna make you regret it, understood?" The woman nodded as she looked Evan up and down. She sighed, glancing at the ground before she looked back up at Daryl's sister, "Michonne." The blonde nodded back, "Evan." No further words were exchanged for a while. 

Rick, Hershel and Daryl walked back into the main part of the cell block, Evan had helped Michonne into a sitting position on one chair and she was pressing the towel against her wound. Evan stepped back, knocking not an arrow, but a bolt into place as Rick stopped right in front of the newcomer, "We can tend to that wound right now, give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way, good riddance. But you've gotta tell us how you found us and why you were carrying formula." Michonne looked at Evan and the blonde nodded. She looked back at Rick as she spoke up, "The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl." Rick stepped closer as he asked, "What happened?" There was a moment of hesitation before he received a reply, "They were taken." Evan stepped closer as she readjusted her hold on her crossbow, "By who?" A humorless chuckle left the other woman's lips as she shrugged, "By the same son of a bitch who shot me." Rick moved even closer as his voice got threateningly low, "Hey, these are our people." He squeezed the woman's injured thigh, causing her to cry out in pain as he raised his voice, "You tell us what happened!" The woman shot up from her seat, Evan and Daryl raised their crossbows in perfect sync as they closed in on her, Daryl spoke up, "You'd better start talkin'. Or you're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound." Evan nodded as she stepped closer slightly, "Bolts are a bitch to get out." Rick raised his hand and put it on top of Daryl's crossbow, lowering it down. Evan hesitated before she followed, holding her crossbow to her side. Rick raised his eyebrow as he cocked his head to the side, "You came here for a reason." 

Michonne looked at the three, hesitation clear in her actions. She sighed as she caved in and nodded, speaking up, "There's a town. Woodbury. About seventy-five survivors. I think they were taken there." Evan raised her eyebrow as she let the crossbow rest at her side, letting her guard down for the time being, "A whole town?" "It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor -- pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type." Daryl stepped forward, leaning his elbow on Evan's shoulder as he raised an eyebrow, "He got muscle?" The woman shrugged as she hummed, "Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall." Rick raised an eyebrow as he asked, "You know a way in?" "The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through." "How'd you know how to get here?" "They mentioned a prison, said which direction it was in, that it was a straight shot." Rick turned to face the twins as he raised an eyebrow. The twins exchanged a look before they faced Rick and nodded. Their leader sighed as he stepped back and mentioned to Hershel behind him, "This is Hershel, the father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of the wound." 

Rick walked back into the cell block, mentioning for the twins to follow him. He told Carl to keep an eye on the newcomer and the boy nodded, loading his gun. The group gathered around the staircase and Evan was quick to sit beside Carol on the stairs and kiss the woman's cheek, "I'm so happy to see you again." Carol smiled as she turned and kissed the top of Evan's head, "Me too." They turned their attention to Rick who spoke up, addressing everyone, "They've taken Glenn and Maggie, she knows where they are. We have no choice, but to trust her with this." Evan opened her mouth, but Daryl cut her off, pointing a bolt into her direction, "Ya ain't going anywhere." Evan raised an eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side, "Excuse me?" Rick nodded as he stepped to stand in front of her, "Daryl's right. You're already injured. I don't wanna put you in danger." She tried to protest but Daryl spoke up again, "Eve, ya have to stay here. These fuckers have muscle, automatics." He bowed down his head slightly as he put a hand on Evan's shoulder, "I don't want ya to get hurt, alright? 'S gonna be tough and if I hafta, 'm gonna chain ya down in one of the cells, alright?" Evan sighed as she nodded. He nodded back and stepped away, looking at Rick, "There's no place for debate. I'll go." Rick shook his head as he looked at the archer, "Place sounds really secure. You can't go alone. I'm coming." Beth nodded as she stepped up, "Me too." Oscar nodded as he looked at Rick, "I'm in." 

Rick nodded his head as he looked around the group. He scratched the stubble on his face as he looked at the ground, deep in thought. He nodded his head he looked around the group, "Daryl and Oscar are gonna come with me. We're gonna make a plan up on our way there, Michonne's gonna help us since she's been there, she would know best. We have to go pack, once Hershel's done stitching her up we're gonna leave, we can't waste a second more than necessary. God knows what they're doing to Maggie and Glenn."

Everyone started helping with packing the necessary weapons, they took the automatics they had, along with the flash bangs and tear gas, they didn't know what type of threat they were facing, anything could be useful. Once they were finished with loading the bags in the trunk of their Hyundai, Daryl looked down at Carl who stood next to him, putting the last bag in the trunk, "Hey, don't you worry about your old man. I'm gonna keep an eye on him." Carl nodded as he smiled slightly and looked up at Daryl, "I'm gonna keep an eye on Eve for you, too." Daryl smiled back as he patted the boy's shoulder one last time before Rick called his son over. Daryl sighed as he closed the trunk and made his way to Evan who leaned against the wall of the prison, "I get that you're mad. I do. But there's no way I-" His eyes widened slightly when Evan took a step forward and pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "I love you, Eve. I love you so fucking much." Evan nodded as they pulled back, "I know." She pulled the vest off her back and held it open for Daryl, "Jump in, boy." He chuckled as he slipped his arms through the holes. Evan nodded approvingly as she hummed, "Yep, looks better on ya." 

Rick whistled as he mentioned for Daryl to move. The archer nodded before he kissed Evan's cheek one last time, "Be safe." She nodded as she wrapped her arms around herself, "You too." She watched as her brother walked to the car and got in. Carl moved to stand next to her and the two sat there, watching as the car drove down the courtyard and to the gate. She snapped from her trance when Carl spoke up, looking up at her with a smile, "We named Lil' ass-kicker. Her name's Judith." Evan smiled as she raised her eyebrows, "Judith, huh? Sounds about right." Carl nodded as he chuckled. Evan nudged him with her elbow before she pushed herself off the wall, "Come on, I'm gonna teach ya some hunting. Wanna shoot my crossbow?" Carl nodded as he smiled even wider. The woman chuckled as she tipped his hat, "Come on then, let's go."

And despite the fun she had with the boy for the reminder of the day, Evan couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong. And her fears only came true when the next day, the group came back and Daryl was nowhere to be seen.


	27. Fists And Rifles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Axel have the talk, Rick comes back without Daryl... But then an "unexpected" guest makes an appearance and saves the day.

Season three

Evan stood with her back against the wall, sharpening her knife. She glanced up from the blade and she couldn't help but frown when she saw Axel sitting way too close to Beth for her liking. Apparently, Carol felt the same, because she glanced at Evan and raised an eyebrow. The younger of the two nodded as she pushed herself off the wall and whistled, catching Axel's attention. She mentioned with her head to the staircase and walked away, hearing footsteps behind her. 

When they were a safe distance from the cell Carl, Beth and Hershel were in, Evan turned around, pressing her knife against Axel's Adam apple, "What the hell do ya think you're doing, pretty boy? She's at least half yer age, hell she ain't even eighteen yet." Axel tried to step back, but Carol hummed disapprovingly as she put her hand on his back, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Axel sighed as he raised his hands in the air, "I'm sorry, women. I-I am. I just, y'know, it's the end of the world. I wanna take care of the human population. The samurai chick is gonna chop my Willie off, the pretty girl is taken by the Asian," He gestured with his head to the blonde who still had her knife to his throat, "I'm way too scared of your brother and the one behind me is on the other side." Evan glanced at Carol who bit her tongue to keep her laughter at bay. Evan's chin started to quiver as she snorted through her nose. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she pulled her knife away from the man's throat as she started laughing, Carol laughed along while Axel looked back and forth between the two women. Carol leaned her forehead against Evan's shoulder while Evan threw her head back, slapping her knee. Once the two calmed down, Evan chuckled as she tucked her knife into her belt, then she patted the man's shoulder, "If you wanna keep your Willie, then keep it in your pants." She started heading back to the cell, but then she turned around with a smirk, "And for the record," She winked at Carol who rolled her eyes, "She's not on the other side." 

Evan walked back to the cell and frowned when she saw that Carl was nowhere to be seen. She grabbed her crossbow from the ground and slung it over her shoulder, "Where's Carl?" Hershel sighed as he looked at the younger woman, "He disappeared into the tombs. Said he heard something. Tried to stop him, but it's kinda hard with one leg." Before he could even finish, they heard loud voices from the main part of the cell block. Evan cursed under her breath as she took off, ignoring Hershel who told her to stay put. She grabbed her gun on her way there and made sure it was loaded before she walked into the main part, "What the hell is going on here?!" All eyes were on her and Carl lowered his gun, feeling safer now that he was with the blonde, "Evan, they needed help. Part of the prison is crumbled down, they made their way through. Everything is okay, they're harmless." Evan raised her eyebrow when her eyes landed on the dead woman in the middle of the group, "Did you take care of her?" The tall man from the other group shook his head as he sighed, "We will in a second." He looked at the blonde as he nodded his head, "I'm Tyreese. Thank you." Evan sighed as she put her gun down and mentioned for Carl to move closer to her, "Don't get too comfortable. I'm not in charge here. When the boss comes, he's gonna say if y'all are staying or not." With that she turned around and walked back into the cells, Carl behind her. She locked the gate and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrow when the woman from the other group glared at her, "Don't you even try anythin', darling. Don't try your luck. We're way too many for y'all to handle... You should be grateful-" "We are." The man known as Tyreese put his hand on the woman's, who Evan assumed was his sister, shoulder as he nodded his head, "We are. This is the safest we've been in months. Thank you." Evan nodded back as she walked further into the cells. 

After she told the others about the situation, a part of the group headed off to bed while Evan and Carol went to the guard tower by the gate to keep watch and wait for their people. It was going to be a long night.

The other day, somewhere around noon, Evan almost leaped from joy when she saw the Hyundai coming closer. She whistled, catching Carl and Axel's attention. She pointed towards the road and the boys caught on. She ran down the tower and pushed open the second gate while Carl got the walkers' attention and Axel took care of the other gate. The Hyundai slipped through and Rick parked the car, getting out. Maggie slipped in the driver's seat and drove the car to the prison building while Rick embraced his son. Evan frowned and felt her heart slip down to the bottom of her stomach when she noticed that Daryl wasn't in the vehicle.

"Where's Daryl?" 

Rick stepped away from his son, fixing son's hat as if to save time. He tuned to face Evan as the woman stood a few feet away from him, her arms were crossed over her chest and her crossbow was slung over her back. Rick sighed as she stepped closer to the blonde, "Eve-" "What, did you cuff him to a roof as well?" The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He reopened them and sighed as he put his hand on his hip, "Can we just, talk later?" Evan shook her head as she stepped forward, "Nah, we're gonna talk now. Where the hell is my brother?" Rick looked at his shoes, kicking some dirt with the heel of the boot. He looked back up at Evan as he cocked his head to the side, "He left." 

Everything was spinning for a second. Evan raised an eyebrow as she backed away slowly, "What-Rick, it ain't funny. What are ya talking about?" The ex-sheriff sighed as he tried to step forward but the woman only backed up, "We came across Merle-" "What ?! Where is he, is he okay-" "Evan!" Rick sighed as he ran a hand over his face before he took a deep breath and continued, "We came across Merle. He was the one who beat Glenn up. He was there, with the Governor. I couldn't let him come here." Evan took a shaky breath in as she pinched the inner corners of her eyes, trying to stop the tears that were forming, "I-I-I know Merle, he wouldn't shoot to kill, he never would." "Evan-" "Back off!" The first few tears started to slip from her eyes as Evan shrugged off Rick's hand, taking a few steps back, "Why couldn't you hear him out? Why - This is why I should have come, this is-" She leaned her chin against her chest as she turned her back to Rick, squeezing her eyes shut. It hit her. Daryl left. Daryl left her behind, his own true blood, the one he shared their mother's womb with for nine months and ten days, the one who was by his side since the beginning of everything, since she was the first one, he left her. For who, for their brother who wasn't around for even half of their childhood. It was good to know he was alive, but honestly, she couldn't care less. "He left." 

Her shoulders stiffened when she felt Rick wrap his arms around her from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder. She whimpered as she tried to pull away, however Rick only tightened his grip around her, hushing her gently. Evan felt a sob rock through her body when she felt a slightly smaller hand grab her own and give it a squeeze, it was only then she realized Carl was still there, he had seen her cry, he had seen her weak. Not only him, Rick as well, the one who sent her big brother away. But honestly, a part of her knew he had every right to do so. Merle, he could be reckless sometimes. That didn't make the wound hurt any less.

Evan pulled away, this time successfully as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Rick tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she shook her head, taking a few steps away from him, "We have newcomers at the prison, an entire group. You should take care of them." With that, she walked towards the prison, ignoring Rick who called her name. She just wanted to be alone. Hell, she wanted the ground to open beneath her feet and swallow her whole.

Evan spent a good while sitting on the roof of the prison. She stared off into the distance, lost into time. She made sure to hide herself in the shadows, making it so no one could see her from the ground. She was thankful to know that her plan worked when both Rick and then later, Hershel walked around the courtyard but didn't seem to notice her. It was as if she was watching television all over again. For some reason, unclear to Evan, Rick was outside the safety of the prison fences. Hershel stood by the fence and the two men shared a deep conversation before the elderly man sighed and turned around, making his way back to the prison. Evan frowned when she saw Rick standing there, absolutely motionless, seemingly nuzzling the air. She decided it was weirder than television.

However, Evan snapped out of her thoughts when rapid gunfire erupted and a van drove right through the fences. Cursing under her breath, she stood to her feet and looked around. Rick and Hershel were both to the ground, trying to stay clear of the line of the gunfire. Rick's situation seemed better, at least a little bit, because the van's door slid open and walkers emerged from it. A man with an automatic weapon of some sort got out of the van and started firing away, slowly making his way to where Hershel was hiding. Evan quickly knocked a bolt into place and moved to stand on the edge of the roof. She took aim and fired, to her luck, the bolt pierced right through the chest of the man and he fell to the ground, the walkers closest to him took sudden interest in the now dead body. However, walkers from outside the fence were closing in on Rick and slipping through the gap, trapping in Hershel as well. She had to think fast.

Evan climbed down from the roof as fast as she could, not bothering with the steps of the ladder, instead she slid down and landed on her feet with a soft thud. Crouching down slightly so the walkers didn't notice her, she made her way to the side of the building and dug inside the huge basket. Carl's idea to hide some of their weapons outside in case of emergencies seemed to come really in handy. She pulled out an automatic rifle and loaded it. When she turned her attention back to the courtyard in front of her, she was happy to see Glenn was in the car, driving over to Hershel. Michonne was in the courtyard too, taking down a part of the walkers. That made Rick, Evan's priority. 

The blonde didn't even think twice as she ran down the courtyard, her crossbow slung over her shoulder while she cleared out a path for herself, she had to get to Rick and she had to do it fast. She slipped through the gap in the fence and cursed under her breath when she saw that Rick was pressed against the fence, trying to fight off three walkers on his own. Evan took aim but she didn't fire, it was way too big of a risk, the bullets could get through the walkers and it would be game over for Rick. She had to think of something else.

However, before Evan could even blink, she saw a bolt pierce through the head of a walker, the body fell to the ground for good. She couldn't believe it. There wasn't time for doubt though, because before she knew it, she saw Merle emerge from some bushes, running towards Rick with a warrior type of scream. Then she saw Daryl appeared from behind the bushes as well, another bolt was knocked into place but he didn't need to fire, Merle had taken care of the walkers. Rick's breath was labored as he gave Daryl a grateful nod, the redneck returned it.

Then Evan's blood started to boil. She didn't even move an inch when Daryl made his way to stand next to Rick and Merle. The three looked at the woman who glared at them, watching their every move like a hawk. The silence was cut off by the occasional grunts and snarls from the walkers inside the courtyard, however the tension could be cut though with a knife. Merle chuckled as he raised his eyebrows, "Damn, baby sister, look at you! Such a badass with that rifle and all." He opened his arms as he wiggled his eyebrows, a shit-eating grin was on his face, "Why don't you give your good ol' pal Merle a hug?" Evan readjusted her hold on the rifle as she started making her way to her oldest brother. She halted directly in front of him, looking up at him with a blank expression. And before anyone could stop her, Evan's fist was in the air and Merle's ass on the ground, his hand clutching his nose.

Evan shoved the rifle in Rick's hands then walked away, disappearing into the woods without even a glance in Daryl's direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE HE IS!!!!!!! IT'S MARY POPPINS, Y'ALL!   
> Okay, I'm way too obsessed with Michael Rooker... Like, it's not healthy.  
> Anyways, it took me so fucking long to write this chapter, oh my Gooood! But anyways, I hope y'all liked it, see ya next time.


	28. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan and Merle have a long talk about the past... It's kind of a filler chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's Merle time! Finally! I love that guy, he's my personal favorite from The Walking Dead. I can't wait to write him, write from his point of view and write the character development he deserved.

Season three

The poor tree didn't mean to be in Evan's way. But it was and it was going to pay the prize. Blood started to cover the rough, dark bark as the skin on Evan's knuckles opened, but she didn't stop. Instead, she even added a few kicks here and there, using the tree as a punching bag, letting it all out. It was kind of like therapy, every single time pain shot though her entire arm, she felt a rock fall from her chest. 

Daryl and Merle were back. At first, when Rick had said they found Merle, Evan was ready to leap from joy. But the sympathy in Rick's blue eyes made her heart jump out of her throat and hit the ground. Daryl had left her. Daryl, out of all people, the one that was by her side from the second she let out her first cry and took her first breath, he abounded her, for the man who was never by their side in the first place.

Then he had the audacity to come back and bring back their brother. Daryl's eyes were filled with guilt and regret while Merle smiled as he opened his arms, his eyebrows were arched slightly as he most likely expected his little sister to jump into his embrace. To say he was surprised when she punched him square in the face, knocking him on his ass, was understandable. Or at least he sounded surprised from the variety of colorful curse words that left his mouth as she stormed off.

Evan's breathing was labored. She turned around and slid down to the base of the tree, her back against the rough bark. She brought her hands in front of herself as she looked down at her bloodied knuckles, they stung awfully, the skin was in fact opened and blood continued to seep out of them. She knew she would get an infection if she didn't go back, plus the smell of blood on the bark could attract walkers, all in all, she had to go back, but she could care less. She just wanted to be alone.

"I feel sorry for that tree."

A scoff left Evan's mouth as she closed her eyes, "How'd you find me?" She kept her eyes closed and her hands in her lap without moving a muscle. She heard leaves rustle and she could only guess that Merle settled down on the ground. A part of her hoped that he would just fuck off, but she knew better.

Opening an eye, she glanced at Merle who snorted, "I think you forgot who was the one to teach you how to track in the first place. You should try better with covering up the tracks next time..." Evan snorted as she brought her knees up and leaned her elbows on them, "You taught Daryl how to track, I taught myself. Do you remember back when you used to pick favorites? First Daryl, then me. That didn't go on for too long though, after that you were never there." Her brother mirrored her position as he sighed, "You know that's not true, I never picked favorites... And you know why I couldn't be there." Evan hummed as she raised her chin slightly, squinting her eyes, "Oh dear brother, enlighten me..." Her glare became ten times colder, same with her voice, "Because I have no idea why you weren't there for even one third of our freaking childhood."

Merle pinched the bridge of his nose with the fingers of his good hand as he exhaled slowly. He pushed himself off the ground and stood up. Evan didn't move as she watched her older brother pace around, deep in thought. Then, he halted, facing away from Evan, "Reveal my back." Evan frowned as she raised an eyebrow, "Merle-" "Do it, Eve. I'd do it myself, but it's kinda hard one-handed." The younger of the two sighed as she pushed herself into a standing position and took a few hesitant steps forward.

Evan's fingers grabbed the edge of Merle's tank top and stayed there for a few moments. Then slowly, she raised the white material up, revealing Merle's own childhood memories. She had seen them before, but never this close. If she thought Daryl's back was bad, then she was completely wrong. Deep lashes from the belt, cuts that could only be made with glass from a broken beer bottle, cigarette burns, his back was like a broken mosaic. But that was nothing new, Evan already knew that Merle was the first one to face their father's anger. Her older brother flinched away when Evan ran her fingers over one of the biggest lashes, "For ten years, I was alone. Completely on my own, facing his drunken state and taking the extra beatings so he wouldn't touch ma. I'd lock her in my room then pass out in front of it from pain. Hell, sometimes even from blood loss, depending on his mood and how much he had to drink that way." He chuckled humorlessly as he stepped away, readjusting his tank top, "Bad part was, that asshole wasn't an asshole all the time. When he was sober, he could win the father of the year award. Ya know that too, apparently." He sighed as he turned around and looked at Evan, "A part of me hoped he took it lighter on y'all. A part of me hoped that with you two being born, he would, y'know, get an eye-opener. I thought he would change, that y'all would be that big, happy family. It was already too late for me, but I thought you'd be lucky. I would've been happy for y'all." Evan sighed as she stepped forward slightly, "Merle-" "Wanna know why I left?" Merle nodded his head firmly as he looked at his boots, "If I had stayed, I would've killed that son of a bitch. And ya knew that too, this is why neither you nor Daryl said anythin'." 

Evan ran her hand over her face as she sighed. She had never had such a conversation with Merle before. Merle, himself, seemed kind of awkward as he rubbed his chin with his hand, "Alright, what do I gotta do to make you forgive me and Daryl, huh? Whatever it is, I'll do it, I promise." The blonde kicked some dirt with the heel of her shoe as she glanced a the ground, her brother looked at her with pleading eyes. She couldn't help but sigh as she nodded, looking up to meet her brother's blues, "First off, never make me have a conversation like that with you, again." Merle rolled his eyes but stopped when Evan glared. "About Daryl and I, we're gonna work it out ourselves. And you, well," She nodded her head as she glanced at the ground then back at him, "stick around long enough to figure out how exactly you're going to make me forgive you. Then we'll talk." Her older brother nodded as a ghost of a smile crossed his lips, "Alright, I can do that. Now," his smile turned into a shit-eating grin, "we have biters to take care of." Evan rolled her eyes as a smile threatened to curl at the corners of her lips.

The two started heading back to the prison, walking in compete silence, the only source of noise was the sound of the leaves and grass crunching softly beneath their feet. Evan nudged her brother with her elbow, catching his attention, "Y'know... I'm happy to see you're okay... And I'm happy that you're back... And I'm sorry for clocking you in the nose." Merle snorted as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders briefly, "Nah, I know you're lying about the last part. You've packed quite the punch, baby sister." Evan shrugged as she smiled, "Eh, I guess you're right." Evan bumped his hip with her own as the two pulled away, a faint smile was on her face for a few moments later. Maybe she would forgive Merle faster than she thought... Daryl had to suffer for a little bit longer though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, do y'all want me to write a small bio book so y'all can get to know me better? I've been on Wattpad for three years now and my readers there know me good enough by now, but y'all most likely have no idea who I am in general. XD  
> Anyways, Imma go now 'cause I'm watching The Boondock Saints... Again... I have issues.   
> See ya next time!


	29. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan gives us a little lesson about loyalty. She also tortures Daryl, threatens to kill Glenn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is genuinely my favorite chapter so far in this book, I love it so much.  
> Btw, I had way too much coffee to drink, so I'm gonna start writing the next chapter right now. Yeehaw.

Season three

When Evan and Merle returned to the prison, they had to push their way through. It took them quite some time to get through the courtyard and make it to cell block "C" successfully. Evan cursed under her breath when she saw Axel's half-eaten body laying on the ground, completely lifeless. Not only had they lost Oscar, but Axel as well. Something in Evan's gut definitely twisted. The Governor was a sick man. It was late in the night and everyone was already in the cells, most likely asleep. Evan didn't want to face her brother and she knew the others weren't fond of Merle so she suggested that they went to the roof since it was still warm. They ended up using their limbs for blankets and pillows, the snarls of the walkers lulled the to sleep.

They walked through the prison halls and Evan raised an eyebrow when she saw there was no one in the main part of the cell block. She whistled as she started getting closer to the cells, her brother followed a few paces behind her. Rick appeared close to the gate and unlocked it, keeping his voice quiet, "Only you can come in." Evan nodded her head as she looked at the ground, "Daryl in here?" Rick nodded as he sighed, stepping closer to the bars, "We all are. We're having a meeting." Evan nodded as she stepped back, not lifting her gaze from the ground, "I'll listen from here." Rick sighed as he nodded and stepped back, locking the door. The others gathered around the staircase and Merle stepped closer to Evan, leaning against the bars. Merle elbowed Evan and she nodded, she could also feel Daryl's gaze burning the top of her head from his place on the second storey of the cells. She, however, didn't return the look. He had to suffer.

Right off the bat, panicked voices erupted, sharing their opinions on the situation. Evan found it funny, how they all had opinions to share, but solutions to the problem. She snapped out of her trance when she heard Rick, "We're not leaving." Hershel protested, "We can't stay either." His daughter nodded as she put her gun in the back of her pants, "We can't even go outside, at least not in daylight." Glenn shook his head as he stepped forward slightly, "If Rick says we're not running, we're not running." Evan turned her gaze to Merle as he scoffed, "No, better to live here like rats." Rick raised his eyebrows as he cocked his head to the side, Evan tried to ignore how his fingers hovered over the handle of his revolver, "You've got a better idea?" Merle nodded confidently as he slipped his arms through the bars, leaning his body weight on them, "Yep. We should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now." Daryl spoke up as he paced around the second storey, "We ain't scared of that prick." Merle nodded his head as he continued, "Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot." He chuckled humorlessly as he shrugged, "He could just starve us out if he wanted to." 

Maggie glared at the man before she looked at Rick, "Let's just put him in the other cell block." Daryl spoke up, his voice echoing slightly off of the quiet of the room, "No, he's got a point." Maggie turned her judgmental expression to Daryl before she looked back at the oldest of the Dixon's, pointing a finger at him, "This is all you. You started this." Evan snorted as she leaned her forearms on the bars, "Grow up. What difference whose fault it is? Last time I checked, he didn't have his finger on the trigger, didn't he?" Maggie rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Of course you would take his side." Evan nodded as she shrugged, "Yep. It's called loyalty. You should try that sometime." Before Maggie could say something back, Rick cut her off, "Enough. Both of you. We don't have time for this." Hershel spoke up as he looked at their leader, "I said we should leave. Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here." 

Rick shook his head as he kept his back to Hershel. He started heading towards the exit of the cell block but Hershel stopped him, standing up, "Get back here!" Rick stopped as the elderly man leaned on his crutches, making his way to the ex-sheriff, "You're slipping, Rick. We've seen it. We understand why. But now is not the time. You once said that this isn't a democracy. Now you have to own up to that." Rick stayed quiet, seemingly out of words at the current moment. Evan decided that even if he said anything, it would have nothing to do with the Governor so she elbowed Merle and started heading out, she didn't have time for group counseling.

Evan handed Merle a cigarette as the two sat on the roof, their feet were dangling from the edge and for once a comfortable silence filled the air around them. Evan puffed out her smoke as she looked around, her eyes scanning around the walkers in the field, "They wanna get rid of you. It ain't gonna happen." Merle scoffed as he took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled through his nose, "What, you're ready to rip your membership card because of me?" Evan nodded as she glanced at her brother, "I lost ya once. Daryl went back for ya, forced me to stay behind. When he came without you, I thought we had lost you." She shrugged as she swayed her feet a little, "You ain't always a pleasure to be around, but you're family. I got you back. I'm not ready to give you up." She cursed under her breath as she sighed, "I'm gonna come back. I forgot my crossbow." Merle nodded his head as he took another drag, "Alright, I'm gonna finish my smoke and I'll go downstairs, maybe catch up on some z's, look for vodka. Doesn't seem like we're doing anything today, at all."

Evan sneaked inside the cell block and went to grab her crossbow that was still leaned against the wall by the entrance to the cells. As she grabbed it and turned around, ready to leave, she heard Glenn say something that completely made her blood boil, "That's when it was just us. Before there was a snake in the nest." She heard Daryl scoff, disbelief and slight hurt clear in his tone, "Man, we gonna go through this again? Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get used to it. All y'all." She heard the sound of footsteps, but he didn't come into line of view. That meant he went up the stairs. Good. Evan started creeping inside, listening in to Rick, Glenn and Hershel's conversation, the staircase kept her hidden, "Seriously, Rick, I don't think Merle living here is really going to fly-" "I can't kick him out-" "I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you!" There was a moment of silence, Glenn had hit a nerve. Before Rick could unleash his rage and Evan could make her first move, Hershel spoke up, "Merle has military experience. He may be erratic, but don't underestimate his loyalty to his family." Evan looked at the ground as she inhaled sharply. She started turning around, ready to re-join her brother, seemed like Hershel had everything under control for the time being. But then, Glenn spoke up again, "What if we solve both problems at once? Deliver Merle to the Governor." That was it.

Evan knocked a bolt into place as she listened to Glenn's plan, the other two men were silent. She sneaked out from behind the staircase and jumped out, revealing herself, the edge of the bolt pressed against Glenn's Adam apple who was pressed against the wall, glaring down at her from the way his head was raised, trying to back away from the sharp edge. Evan glared up at him as she stepped closer, her voice dangerously low, "Here you are, talking about snakes in the nest while you're planning the execution of a man that's not even in the room." She stepped away, her crossbow still raised, ready to fire, "If I hear you talkin' about ma brother one more time, I won't be as merciful." With that she lowered it and walked away, yet again ignoring her brother who watched her from his place at the second storey.


	30. Love Ya Too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically some sibling love between Evan and Merle, they're both kinda ignoring Daryl. Andrea comes to the prison and Rick is grumpy.

Season three

"The stitches are healing nice. We're gonna remove them in a few days." Evan nodded as she pulled on her flannel, readjusting it over the shoulders. Hershel looked at her from his seat at the bed while the woman started doing the buttons, "Where are your brothers?" Evan shrugged as she crossed her arms, leaning her back against the wall, "Somewhere in the prison, catching up." She bit the inside of her cheek as Hershel nodded his head, "I see... You have a strong bond," he patted the seat next to him and Evan sighed as she pushed herself off the wall and sat down next to him, "It's unique in a way. I feel like I know you best out of the three and I don't even know anything about you from before everything. Feel comfortable to share?"

Evan sighed as she shrugged, "It's always been the three of us against everybody else even before the entire thing. Mostly Daryl and I though, Merle was barely there, when he was, he was... out of it." Hershel nodded as he rested his hands on his lap neatly, "I'm close to figuring you three out. You and Daryl... You are good kids. Merle... I had a talk with him the other day-" "He's a good man." Evan nodded her head as she finally looked up from the ground and met the man's gaze, "I don't blame him for anything he's done. The strength of that man, the things he's been through even before I was born, the things he's had to go through... We all have our problems, we all have our bad side. We've all done things to survive." She sighed as she nodded her head slowly, "He's done some things even he's not proud of and I can tell you that he doesn't have a clear explanation for any of it. But I can tell you something for sure. He's a good man, he has potential." 

Hershel nodded his head as he held Evan's gaze for a few moments, "I had a talk with Daryl as well." Evan sighed as she bit the inside of her cheek, looking down. She knew where it was going. "It's been three days and you haven't even looked at him. I understand that he left, but let me ask you something." He cleared his throat and raised his left hand. "There are only two ways to go. Everything around you is on fire, you have to be quick to make a decision. On the left side is Merle." He raised his right hand, "On the right side is Daryl." He lowered his hands, "You have five seconds to answer, which direction are you going to take?" One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Evan sighed as she shook her head, then shrugged her shoulders. Hershel gave her a soft smile as he put a hand on her shoulder, "You should talk to him."

Before Evan could speak up, she heard loud voices erupt from the main part of the cell block. The two shared a glance and Evan quickly grabbed her crossbow. She handed Hershel his crutches and he nodded gratefully as he stood up. Evan ran out of the cell, crossbow raised in alert, Hershel was a few paces behind her. She stumbled through the door and she couldn't help but stop in her tracks. Her look of surprise quickly turned to a glare as she growled, "What the hell are you doin' here?" 

Andrea looked the same as she did before, back at the farm. However, she was lacking the busted lip and black eye Evan gave her. She wanted to change that. The other blonde glared almost immediately as she turned her attention to Evan, "I'm here to save you all." Evan chuckled humorlessly as she stepped closer, not lot lowering her weapon, "Oh you little-" "Evan." She turned her attention to Rick who shook his head slowly. Evan raised her eyebrows slightly and received the same head gesture from Rick as earlier. She sighed as she lowered her crossbow and moved to stand next to Merle, Daryl stood on the other side of the room. She crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to Andrea, biting her tongue to stop herself from cursing out the ex-lawyer when she blamed Merle for the entire situation. Merle nudged her with his elbow then shook his head, he was right, they didn't have time for a chick fight. Andrea sighed as she looked at the entire group, "He's preparing for war, he's given guns to children, for God's sake. They're way too many and look at you." She sighed as she looked at Rick pleadingly, "You've already lost way too much. You're becoming weaker. He has an actual army. Just talk to him, in three days, at noon. This is all I'm asking for." Rick shook his head as he glared at the woman that stood in front of him, "You want to help us? Get us in." Andrea shook her head as she sighed, "Rick, I can't-" "Then there's nothing to talk about." With that he turned on his heel and walked out of the cell block. 

Andrea ended up leaving a few hours later once she realized she was seen as the enemy in the situation. Rick announced that the next day, he, Michonne and Carl will go back to town to look for guns and ammunition. He pulled the twins to the side and Evan couldn't help but tense slightly when she felt the awkwardness between the three, it was almost like in the beginning of everything, however it was even worse, because the tension was most between the siblings. Rick nodded his head as he spoke up, keeping his voice quiet, "I want you two to look after your brother. Don't leave him roaming around alone." He turned to Daryl as he stepped closer, "We will meet the Governor. We've gotta get a better look at the enemy. You're gonna tag along," he turned to Evan, "You're staying here. Any complains?" Both of the twins shook their head in almost perfect sync which caused Rick to smirk slightly. He nodded his head and walked away. The siblings didn't stay too close after, they went in their separate directions.

Late into the night, Evan and Merle were sharing a cigarette as they sat on the steps in main part of the cell block. Evan was telling Merle about the entire Andrea situation and she couldn't help but go down the story-line and tell him about everything that happened at the farm. Merle chuckled as he shook his head, "Did you actually throw the entire crossbow at Shane?" Evan nodded as she let out a giggle as well, "You can bet I did, poor bastard fiddled with his own two hands, trying to figure out how to catch it without getting a bolt in the eye. Stupid ass could have simply stepped out of the way." They both laughed again as Evan took the smoke from Merle who shook his head, "At least it was interesting for y'all. All I did was learn how to wipe my ass with my non-dominant hand." Evan coughed on the smoke as she almost inhaled the entire cigarette. Merle laughed out loud as he tried to clap, his laughter was cut off by a colorful combination of curse words when his hand collided with the hard metal, causing Evan to laugh even harder. Merle groaned as he tackled her to the ground, knocking the almost finished cigarette out of her fingers. The two started to wrestle playfully, using every bad word they had in their dictionary before a gunshot rang through the dark prison and Rick's voice followed, echoing off the walls, "Shut the fuck up!" Merle rolled off Evan and laid on his back, biting his fist as he tried to silence his laughter. Evan slapped her knee repeatedly as she wheezing quietly, trying to contain her laughter. The redneck family finally calmed down, their laughter turned to muffled chuckles between ragged breaths. Merle wiped his eyes as he chuckled, "Man, I can't remember when was the last time I laughed so hard." Evan nodded as she put her arms behind her head, "Yeah, me too. Especially with you." Merle glanced at her as his chuckles slowly transformed into a lazy smile. Evan returned the smile before she looked up at the ceiling, "Ya know I love ya, right?" Merle hummed as he got comfortable, "Yeah, I do, baby sis. Love ya too." 

Not long after, the two fell asleep on the cold, hard floor in the main room of the cell block, the fact that Merle told her he loved her for the first time in twenty years lulled Evan to sleep easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it easy to tell that I was high as fuck from caffeine towards the end of the chapter or nah?


	31. Going To War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan has a bad feeling in her gut, talks to Daryl for the first time in a while and joins Merle on a suicide mission. She also starts to develop feelings for Officer Friendly.

Season three

"We're going to war." 

Normally, people would be worried sick, trying to find any way, any how to save their asses before shit hit the fan. Evan was strangely comfortable with it. 

A few days passed since Andrea came to the prison. Rick ended up taking Hershel and Daryl to his meeting with the Governor. It went fairy well with only one small problem, they were going to war. The Governor wanted the prison, the prison Rick's group fought so hard for, the prison which turned out to be their home. They weren't going to give up without a fight.

It was late at night and Evan couldn't sleep. She had an awful feeling, deep in her gut. She tried to push the thought the back of her mind, she tried to assure herself that it was just the nerves, but she knew better. It was because of Daryl. She still didn't even look at him and it started to take its toll on the group. Everyone made sure they spoke to them when the were separated, because when they were together, all they received as a reply was a series of grunts, shaking of the head and face expressions. Even Merle started to get annoyed while he was in the same room as the two. And Evan understood completely, she, herself, hated the feeling of pure discomfort whenever her twin, her soulmate was by her side. It wasn't supposed to be like that, it wasn't supposed to be awkward between them, they were supposed to be a team, two halves of one whole. There was a possibility that they could die. Just a bullet and that's all it could take. And even if Evan was confident enough about the fight, she didn't want to end up dying while Daryl thought she hated him. She stared at the bunk above her where Merle snored loudly and she cursed under her breath as she sat up. 

"Hey."

Daryl looked up from his hands where he held a rag and his crossbow, his soft, blue eyes met the eyes of his sister. He nodded his head in a way of greeting while Evan walked inside the cell and lowered herself on the chair by the door. She clapped her hands together as she leaned her elbows on her knees, "I know you. We don't do small talk. I decided to give you a shot. Go on. Talk." Daryl looked back down at his crossbow as he continued cleaning his precious weapon, "Only thing I'm gonna say is, I don't regret it. Not one bit. I got Merle back, I've got ya... Even if you hate me." Evan chuckled as she leaned back, crossing her ankle over her knee, "You know I can't hate you. Just..." She sighed as she shrugged, "I don't know. Make me understand. Ease me into the situation, brother."

Daryl sighed as he put his crossbow by his side, "Alright." He met Evan's gaze as he nodded his head firmly, "I told Merle he's a simple-minded piece of shit. He grabbed me by the shirt, threw me to the ground, ripped it up. Saw the scars. Saw everything. Saw me raw and true, most likely wanted to beat me up. I thought of you, y'know. I did. I thought of all the fights we've had, everything we've been through. Thought of how while dad undid his belt, you'd stand over my limp body on the ground, protecting me from his wrath, just to get thrown into the wall, even when we were on bad terms. I thought of you, of how no matter what, you always had my back, thick and thin. I knew I've fucked up. Big time. Merle, he didn't hit me. I saw the horror on his face, in his eyes, when he realized what I thought he'd do. He knew that then, I saw him the same way I saw dad. Wanna know what I did then?" He sat up straighter as he nodded his head firmly, "Grabbed my shit and left. Told him I'm going back to where I belong. And I did. I came back, where you are. 'Cause where it's you, it's me too. We're stuck together. But Merle's family too. You know that."

Evan sighed as she ran her hand over her face. She kept her eyes on the ground for a second as she processed everything. After a few moments, which seemed like decades to Daryl, she nodded her head as she got up, "I'm working on giving you a free pass. I am. I'm trying. But you've gotta work for it too." Daryl nodded his head as he grabbed his crossbow. She shot him one last look before she made her way back to her and Merle's cell, sleep was still just a distant thought. 

-

"I don't know why I do the things I do... I'm a damn mystery to me... But I'd do anything for my family. I'm in, Officer Friendly." "We need to get her to the Governor by noon." 

Evan opened her eyes when she heard footsteps trailing down the stairs. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up and yawned, looking out of her cell. Rick halted as he turned to face her and mentioned for her to follow him. She nodded her head as she got up and walked to her duffel bag, pulling out a simple black t-shirt. She changed the shirt before she popped a piece of menthol in her mouth, grabbing her crossbow. When she made sure her crossbow had a few arrows attached just in case, she put it back on the bed and threw her hair in front of her. Once her hair was in a ponytail, Evan wrapped a bandana around her head, keeping the loose hairs out of the way. Then she grabbed her crossbow and ran out, catching up with Rick, "How long did I take?" Rick shrugged as he glanced at her, "About one minute. Hell, Daryl takes longer than you to get ready." Evan shrugged as she chuckled, "He's a pretty boy, he's gotta take care of his hair and shit." Rick nodded his head as smirked slightly. Evan looked at Rick as she readjusted her grip on the crossbow, "Yesterday we had a talk. We're gonna work shit out." Rick looked back at her, his eyes lighting up. Evan smiled as she nodded her head before she looked ahead of them, staying quiet for the rest of their small trip.

They made their way outside the prison, away from the rest of the group. Rick halted as he turned to face Evan, "Where is it that you usually disappear off to?" Evan mentioned for Rick to follow her and he did. They made their was to the ladder on the side of the building and Evan started going up, Rick right behind her. Once they reached the top floor, Evan hauled herself on the highest level that was the roof. She turned around and sat on the edge, her feet dangling off. Rick mimicked her actions, sitting next to her. The two looked out into the distance while Evan reached into the pocket of her pants, pulling out the cartoon of cigarettes. She held one out to Rick and he looked at it for a second, "It's been so long since I last smoked." Evan shrugged as she put it back, then lit one, "We're gonna share then." Once the cigarette was lit, she handed it to Rick who took it and took a drag, "So what do you wanna talk about, boss?" Rick exhaled the smoke though his nose as he handed her the smoke, "Did you hear my conversation with Merle?" She nodded as she took a drag, "Last part of it. Let me see if I got it straight, you're gonna give Michonne to the Governor? And you want Merle to do the delivery?" Rick nodded his head as he sighed, "I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but we don't have a choice. It's either Michonne or war." Evan nodded as she passed him the smoke which he took gratefully, "I don't know, I really don't. But I know why you're doing it. For us." Rick looked at her and Evan felt a slight electric shock in her chest when she saw Rick squinting, hollow-cheeked as he took a drag of his cigarette, his blue eyes searching her own Georgia blues. She nodded her head, "We're a family. You're doing something for your own. Which means it's the right thing to do." Rick pulled the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back. He opened his eyes as he handed Evan the smoke and jumped from the roof, landing on the storey below. He nodded his head at the blonde before he started climbing down the ladder, disappearing out of sight. Evan took the last drag of the cigarette before she laid back on her back, her legs still dangling from the edge. Something just happened and she wasn't exactly sure what it was. 

Once she was down from the roof, Evan started making her way back inside the prison, just to bump into no other but Daryl. She chuckled as she stepped back, "Slow down, cowboy." Her smile disappeared when she saw the look on Daryl's face, "What's up?" Her brother shrugged as he bit the side of his thumb, munching on the callus, "Nothin'. Merle's bein' a jackass is all." He lowered his hand as he squinted slightly, "Did Rick tell ya 'bout the deal?" Evan nodded, "It's not who we are, but he knows what he's doing, who he's doing it for. We're gonna push though this, move on." Daryl nodded his head as he glanced at the ground, "Yer right." He moved to walk past her, but Evan whistled. She gave him the pack of cigarettes, shaking the cartoon slightly, "The lighter's inside." Daryl nodded and with that, they went their opposite ways. Evan walked to the main part of the cell block and she saw Hershel and Rick talking in hushed voices. When Rick noticed her arrival, he quickly made his way to her, putting an automatic rifle in her hands, "The deal is out, we can't do that. We've gotta look for Merle, we have to let him know." Evan nodded her head and quickly ran to the cells. She made her way inside her cell and took the keys to the chopper, just in case. She grabbed her gun, slipping it in the holster on her belt before she grabbed a box of ammo and shoved it in one of the pockets on her hunting, camouflage pants. She grabbed her crossbow and slung it over her shoulder, letting it rest comfortably on her back. With that she grabbed the rifle and stormed out of the cell. 

Evan panted as she halted in front of Rick, "I'm going out, I'm taking the chopper. He's nowhere to be seen." Rick shook his head as he stepped closer, "Evan, you can't go alone." "I have to-" "You can't-" "We're wasting time, Rick!" Rick stepped back slightly as the woman raised her voice. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she continued, "We spent twenty minutes looking for him and Michonne everywhere in the goddamn prison and we didn't find anything, I'm going and there's no way you can stop me." Evan started making her way to where the motorcycle was parked, Rick hot on her trails, "I'm coming with you." Evan shook her head as she straddled the machine, turning the key in the ignition, "No, stay here. Keep the people, be ready. We don't know what's gonna happen. Once I'm out there, tell Daryl, I don't care, but now. Now I need you to open the freaking gate, alright?" Rick sighed as he ran his fingers though his hair. Evan revved the motorcycle as she rolled it over to the gate, using her feet for support. Rick ran over to the gate and gripped the padlock, unlocking the chains. He looked at Evan as he nodded his head, "You're family too." Evan nodded back as the man started to slide the gate open. Evan slipped out and sped down the courtyard, a bunch of the walkers following her as they snarled and groaned, trying to reach her. By the time Rick closed the gate and stepped back, Evan was already out of sight.

Evan was speeding down the empty streets, going as fast as the machine allowed to. Her breath was slightly labored as she squinted her eyes, the harsh wind slapping her face over and over. Adrenaline rushed through her veins like ecstasy, electricity send shivers all over her body, even to the bottom of her feet. The thoughts of earlier filled her mind and she was glad. Her and Daryl were back on decent terms, Rick had called her family. She needed to bring her brother back, maybe even the Samurai chick if they were lucky and it would be enough. Everything would be okay.

There was a car parked in the middle of the road, the passenger door was opened. It had to be them, it just had to be. Evan started slowing down and she parked next to the vehicle, both Michonne and Merle looked at her with wide eyes. Evan killed the engine as she got up, turning to face the two, "Rick broke the deal. We can go back." Merle shook his head as he chuckled, "Huh, look at this Officer Friendly. Turns out he had a heart," he turned to Michonne, "Like I told you, that motherfucker came back for me." Michonne nodded her head as she grabbed her katana, "Like I told you, we can go back, Merle. We can." Merle shook his head as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth before he replied, "I can't go back, no matter what, Michonne. Get that through your thick skull." Evan shook her head as she stepped closer, "I will talk to him, I'll talk to the group, we're gonna figure it out." Merle punched the steering wheel in frustration, "I fucked up way too many times! I fucked up!" He took a deep breath as he shook his head, refusing to meet Evan's gaze, "I've got job to do, baby sis. I can't go back. Grow up." Evan sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a few steps back. Michonne reluctantly stepped out of the car. 

Evan nodded her head as she took her crossbow from her back and lowered herself in the passenger seat, putting her weapon on the ground by her legs, "Michonne, take the chopper, if you can't ride just hide it in some bushes, tell Daryl where it is." Merle shook his head as his eyes widened slightly, "Evan-" "Don't." Evan closed the door before she looked at her oldest brother, determination dancing in her eyes like fire, "You told me to grow up, over and over again. I did, brother. I know what I'm doing. I know what you're about to do and I know why you're doing it. If you go alone, it will be a suicide mission. If I die by your side, I don't give a fuck, I fought for the ones that I loved." Evan put her hand on his knee and squeezed it, "I told you, I left you once, I'm not leaving you again." 

Merle was speechless, his mouth was opening and closing like a fish on land. In his eyes, Evan saw something she never saw before. They seemed a lighter shade, not the usual hazed, dull grayish-blue that was either filled with hatred or arrogance. They almost seemed innocent, child-like. He licked his lips as he nodded his head, turning the key in the ignition. Evan nodded back in satisfaction before she glanced at Michonne, "The keys are in the ignition." Michonne shook her head slowly, sadness clear on her features, "Evan-" before she could finish her sentence, Merle drove away, leaving Michonne behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was supposed to be one chapter, HOWEVER, it ended up being over 4k words long so yeah... I'm gonna publish the second part tomorrow, see ya then!


	32. New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick's group wins the battle with the Governor, they take in people from Woodbury. Evan's really happy with the outcome.

Season three

"You've got a cigarette?" 

Daryl handed Evan the cartoon, "The lighter's in there." She nodded as she opened the pack and took out a cigarette. Lighting it up, she took a drag as she leaned her back against the wall. Blowing out the smoke, she nudged Daryl with the tip of her shoe, "Merle's interacting well with the others." Her brother hummed as a reply while he got up to his feet. Merle was helping with the weapons, making sure they had enough ammo and there weren't any issues. Daryl took the offered smoke from Evan and he took a drag before he spoke up, "Y'know... Something keeps botherin' me... How ya didn't say goodbye yesterday... Just, hopped on the bike n' left." Evan sighed as she turned to face him, "There wasn't a reason to say goodbye. We ain't gonna say goodbye ever and you know that." 

"Evan." The twins turned their attention to Rick who made his way to the two. He sighed as he halted in front of the two, "Look, I know I said you're gonna be with us, but Carl's acting off. Really off. Can you go with Hershel and the others?" Evan glanced at her brother as she sighed, "Alright. Let me finish my cigarette first though, do ya need help with loading?" Rick shook his head as he readjusted his hold on his rifle, "No, we're done. Thank you." Evan nodded as their leader walked away, everyone was getting ready to take their positions. Evan took one last drag from her smoke before she handed it to Daryl, "Alright, I'mma say bye to Merle, then I'm gonna head off with Hershel." Daryl nodded as he flicked the ashes off the cigarette, "Alright... Ya ain't gonna say goodbye again?" Evan smiled as she shook her head, "Nope." She kissed her brother's forehead before she walked away, heading towards Merle. The eldest Dixon brought his face away from the scope of an automatic as he smiled slightly, "Ready to blow some shit, baby sister?" Evan chuckled as she shook her head, "Nah, I'm gonna go with the backup. Rick wants me on babysitting duty." Merle shrugged as he slung the strap of the rifle over his shoulder, "Well, how about a hug for your old pal Merle?" The younger of the two rolled her eyes as she gave him a brief hug, "Go kick some ass." 

Evan sat on the hood of the car, squinting slightly as she tried to see through the trees. There were explosions, gunfire, automatics. Evan closed her eyes and painted the picture in the back of her head. There was going to be a lot of damage, she knew that, but it was nothing they couldn't fix. A part of her wished she was there, fighting alongside her family instead of babysitting and watching over the elderly man. She could bet that Merle was in his element now, re-living moments of his days in the Marines. She wished she could've seen him in action, or even better, she wished she was by his side, shooting alongside him.

Her eyes snapped open as she slid from the hood of the car and quickly put back up the branches they had prepared for camouflage, covering the car, making it look abounded. Hershel got out of the car and leaned on the top, taking aim, Carl following. Evan knocked a bolt into place, it sounded like whoever was approaching was alone, two guns and a crossbow would scare them away. And she turned out to be right, a boy, somewhere around Beth's age jumped out from behind some bushes, fright clear on his features. Evan raised her crossbow and took aim, glaring at the young man, "Hand the gun over, son." The boy nodded frantically as he twirled the gun around his finger so he was holding the barrel, the handle towards Evan, "S-sure, take it." Evan reached her hand, ready to take the gun before the boy fell to the ground, a gunshot printed directly between his eyes. Evan looked over her shoulder to see Carl lowering his gun, breathing heavily. Hershel exchanged a look with the blonde woman, clearly equally as shocked. Carl had no reason to do what he did, but he still did it.

It wasn't long until the Governor's men started to step back, getting in their vehicles and driving away. Evan turned to Hershel as the two adults stayed outside, the kids were in the car, "I say we give it a five, then we head back." Hershel nodded his head as he glanced at the ground. He met blonde's gaze as he spook up in a hushed voice, "We should tell Rick. He needs to know where Carl's heading." Evan nodded as she glanced briefly at the boy who sat in the backseat of the Hyundai, holding Judith, "We're gonna talk to him..." She sighed as she patted the hood of the car and walked over to the driver's seat, "Alright, let's head out." Once Hershel climbed in the passenger seat, Beth spoke up, "Is it safe to go back?" Evan hummed a positive reply as she turned the keys in the ignition, bringing the car to life, "Yep."

They reached the prison, Glenn and Maggie opening the gate. Once Evan parked he vehicle she got out, along with the kids and Hershel. Glenn gave them all a nod of a greeting before he started helping with unloading all of their bags. All of them carried a few bags while Beth and Hershel were empty handed, the girl was holding Judith. Evan readjusted the bags slung over her shoulders before she grabbed three others by the handles, turning to face the Korean, "Where's Rick and the others?" "They saw y'all coming so they went inside. Wanted to tell you the plan." He glanced at Carl who stormed inside the prison, carrying two bags, "Everything okay?" She sighed as she headed inside, her companion following, "I'll tell you later."

Once they all put the bags down, unloading everything, Rick announced their plan which was to go after the Governor's men and finish them up, once and for all. Evan was allowed to tag along which is why she had her automatic slung over her shoulder, her crossbow on her back. Rick pinched the bridge of his nose when Carl said he wanted to come. The boy protested before Rick tried to cut him off, "I killed one of the Governor's soldiers, did my job out there, just like you." "One of his soldiers?" Evan stepped forward as she kept her arms crossed over her chest, "A kid running away. He stumbled across us." Carl glared as he pushed further, "No, he drew on us. He was a threat and I took care of it. I'm coming with you." Carl turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the adults on their own. Hershel made his way closer while Rick turned to the Dixon, "Carl said he drew." The elderly man shook his head as he moved to stand next to Evan, "The kid was scared, he was handing his gun over." Evan nodded her head, "I was there, I saw it. Beth did too, Hershel, we all saw it. Carl had no reason to do what he did." Rick pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed deeply. He shook his head as he protested, "No, he said it was defense. Maybe it looked like that to you, but-" "Rick!" Evan sighed as she ran a hand over her face, she could feel the others' eyes on her, "I'm telling you, he didn't have a reason to do what he did. I had my crossbow up, two guns were pointed at him, the kid knew he didn't have a chance so he started to hand his gun over. Carl gunned that kid down." Rick sighed as he looked at the ground. Awkward silence filled the air before Daryl whistled, raising his voice awkwardly, "Come on, let's move out!" Merle nodded as he elbowed his brother in the ribs, then threw a fist in the air, "Yeah, let's go before we lose the sunlight!" Both Dixon's winked at their sister who sighed and shook her head.

The people assigned to go after the Governor piled outside, Carol and Beth on gate duty. Merle hopped in the bed of the truck while others stood next to it. Glenn and Maggie exchanged looks before Glenn spoke up, looking at Rick, "We're going to stay. We don't know where the Governor is, if he comes back we will be ready." Merle scoffed as he leaned his elbows on the top of the truck, "Alright, don't need you lovebirds anyway." Maggie glared at him and he just raised his eyebrows mockingly. Rick sighed as he nodded his head, "I appreciate you staying." Evan scoffed as she made her way to the motorcycle, straddling the machine as she turned the key in the ignition. Daryl sat behind her, wrapping his arms over her waist. Once Rick and Michonne climbed in the truck and Merle slapped the side of it, signalizing that they were good to go, Evan started to waddle slowly, balancing the motorcycle. Glenn, Carol and Beth pushed the gate open, allowing Evan to slip out first, putting her feet on the steps once the speed was fast enough. Rick slipped out after them, allowing the twins to lead the way.

Evan frowned when she saw the stopped vehicles on the side of the road. She whistled and she felt Daryl give her stomach a slight squeeze, telling her to stop. Nodding her head in acknowledgment, she used her feet to balance the motorcycle while she slowly came to a halt, Rick following. Once she decided it was a safe distance, Evan cut the engine and propped the stand before she got up. The twins prepared their crossbows and started investigating while the others climbed off the truck. Evan aimed her crossbow and fired, the arrow pierced the forehead of a walker. Merle drove the blade that was attached to his prosthesis through the skull of one of the walkers and Daryl nudged Evan slightly, both twins glanced at Michonne who eyed Merle up and down. Michonne took a few steps closer and with one swift move of the katana, two of the creatures lost their heads, falling to the ground, never to rise again. Evan and Daryl shared a look and Evan wiggled her eyebrows. Daryl scoffed as he raised his crossbow and fired, taking down the last walker. Rick and Merle walked around for a moment, pushing their knives through the heads of the walkers one last time, making sure that the dead stayed dead. Evan leaned against the door of one of the trucks as she looked around, "I wonder what happened." Daryl shrugged as he moved to stand next to her. Before he could open his mouth to reply, a bang against the window made both twins jump a few feet away from the truck, crossbows raised in alert, even if they weren't loaded. Rick stepped up and opened the door while Merle raised his right hand, showing off the sharp knife, "Step out, Karen. Nice and steady." A brunette jumped down from the truck, rising her hands in surrender. Evan moved closer, letting Daryl hold her crossbow while she frisked the woman, "Ya on your own?" The woman Merle called Karen nodded as she sighed, "I am." She turned to Merle, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What happened? I thought you were dead, what are you doing with them?" Merle glanced at Rick before he spoke up, "If we got time to catch up, ya can tell us what happened here." Evan pulled away, only finding a handgun in the back of her pants. Karen threw her a look, then she looked at Daryl, then back at Merle. The eldest Dixon raised his hands in the air mockingly before he scoffed, "Great, ya figured this out. Now tell us what happened." The woman sighed as she lowered her hands, "Philip completely lost it. He gunned all of them down, I had to hide under one of the bodies. He killed all of them, every single one." Rick glanced at the twins, then at Merle. Merle stepped forward as he put his goon hand on his hip, "How about ya take us back to Woodbury, let's test that theory, huh?" Karen nodded hesitantly and Merle nodded back in satisfaction. He stepped forward and grabbed the back of her shirt, leading her to the truck roughly. The twins caught Michonne looking at Merle again. Daryl elbowed his sister as he made his way to the chopper, sitting on the back. Evan turned her attention to Rick who walked up to her while Michonne got in the truck, "Should I let Merle take over with this?" Evan nodded as she glanced towards the bed of the truck where Merle sat, Karen next to him, "Yeah, you should. He's been there after all, he knows the people. I say we give it a shot." Rick nodded his head before he walked towards the truck, Evan, herself, made her way to the chopper.

It didn't take the group way too long to get to Woodbury. Evan was told to stay behind with the vehicles while the others sneaked through the woods. She was laying in the bed of the truck, her crossbow and automatic by her side, her arms were under her head while her Georgia blues scanned over the beautiful sky. She sat up quickly, taking the automatic rifle in her hands and getting to one knee when she heard the distant sound of a vehicle approaching. Looking through the scope, she frowned when she saw it was a school bus, Rick driving it. Lowering her weapon, she jumped off the truck's bed, her rifle still in her hands.

The bus stopped not that far away from the truck and Daryl, Michonne and Merle climbed out. Michonne walked over to the driver's side of the vehicle and climbed inside, without even a word. The brothers halted in front of their sister, Daryl speaking up, "We're gonna take them in. They had kids, elders, Rick decided he couldn't leave 'em behind." Merle nodded his head as spoke up, "Some of Karen's friends were there too, they're good people. They're gonna come in handy." Evan nodded her head as she reached over and grabbed her crossbow from the bed of the truck, slinging the strap over her chest, letting the weapon take a comfortable, almost natural position on her back, "Alright. Who's gonna ride the chopper?" Merle shrugged as he made a thinking face, his voice a slightly higher pitch, "Eh, you and Daryl can ride the chopper, I'm gonna call shot-gun with the Samurai chick." Evan and Daryl exchanged looks, slight smirks on their faces. Merle rolled his eyes as he scoffed, before he could speak up, Rick's voice brought their attention, "Merle, Daryl, come for a second." The brothers shared a look before they walked towards the bus where Rick stood by the door. The three exchanged some words before the Dixon's nodded and followed Rick inside, Rick sat back down on the driver's seat. The-ex sheriff's blues met Evan's and the blonde couldn't think of anything else to do but wave. The man behind the wheel gave her a tired smile before he waved back.

Merle and Daryl stepped out of the bus, holding a body wrapped in white. Evan's eyes widened as they switched from the body to Rick and back to the body. Rick shook his head, answering Evan's silent question. Andrea didn't make it. The brothers laid her body in the bed of the truck before they closed the back, Daryl murmured softly as he shifted from one foot to the other, warming his fingers under his armpits, "She went back to the prison to warn us, Philip tracked her down, stopped her. Michonne was by 'er side while she took her final breaths. Decided we should bury her next to ours, she was one of us." Merle nodded as he scratched the back of his neck, "I'm gonna try and comfort Mich. Ya know I ain't no good with words, so I'm just gonna keep her company." When Evan replied with a simple nod, Merle returned the gesture, then he walked over to the passenger side of the truck and climbed in. Evan sighed as she turned to her brother, "Want me to ride or?" Daryl shrugged as he simply went over to the machine and straddled the back seat, patting the front seat softly. The blonde straddled the motorcycle, turning the key in the ignition. 

Evan was the first to slip though the gate, then the truck and lastly, the school bus. Evan parked the motorcycle and cut the engine, her brother squeezed her shoulder before he got off. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the people who slipped from the bus, recognizing two of them as Sasha and Tyreese. They noticed her and gave her a nod of a greeting before they walked over to the entrance of cell block "C" where Hershel and Beth stood, ready to greet the newcomers. Rick ran his fingers though his hair when Carl stormed off, the young teen seemed anything but happy with the fact that they were welcoming new people. Merle and Daryl stood to the side, talking in hushed voices as they gave nods in the way of a greeting to some of the people who passed them. Michonne was standing close to the truck, leaning on her sword as she watched the people with a somewhat mournful expression. Evan made a note to check up on her later.

However, she decided to stay there, sitting on her older brother's motorcycle for a little bit longer. Taking a deep breath in, the air almost felt lighter, fresher than before. The last rays of sunlight for the season beamed down on her, warm and comforting. There was some sort of acceptance in the air. Things seemed better, easier. Maybe it was because they finally decided to move on or maybe it was because they returned to their old selves, regained their humanity. Whatever it was, Evan felt grateful. It made her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is personally, one of my favorite chapters. I loved writing it. I can't wait to start season four! See y'all soon!


	33. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle has a change of heart and he's willing to try and make things better. He even makes amends with Officer Friendly.

Season three

Merle parked the car by a bar of some sorts and leaned back in his seat as he sighed, "Can you look through the glovebox? See if ya can find any CD's." Evan nodded and did as told, opening the glovebox. She pulled out a leather case and unzipped it, whistling when her eyes scanned over the CD's, "We have Metallica, Anthrax, Johnny Cash, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe..." She chuckled as she glanced at her brother who was turned towards the backseat, rummaging through the space under the seats, "There's even a mix, fifty plus bands, best hits. Seems like he was one of your people." Merle chuckled as he straightened up, wiggling a bottle, "I've gotta agree with ya." Evan put in the CD while Merle tried the whiskey, scrunching up his nose. The first song to start was Walk by Pantera. Evan took the bottle from her brother and took a swig, enjoying the burn and how she could feel the liquid trailing down her throat. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she handed Merle the bottle, "Roll down the windows slightly, we're gonna attract more walkers that way." Merle chuckled as he did as told, Evan doing the same, "You already know my plan, huh?" Evan shrugged as she leaned into her seat, putting her feet up on the dashboard, "The only smart thing to do is attract walkers, bring them to the Governor's "office" while we shoot up as many of his men as we can. I don't think there's anything smart about our situation tho." Merle gave her the bottle as the first three walkers started banging on the car windows, snarling, trying to get to the people inside, "I could have done it alone, y'know." Evan took a swig of the whiskey before she passed back the bottle, "Yeah, as if I would've let you."

The next song was Fast And Loose by Mötorhead. The siblings sat in the car and drank, watching as at least a dozen of walkers circled the car, more were coming. Evan poked the finger of one of the creatures and she laughed as the walker wiggled his finger furiously, growling at her. Merle whistled, catching his sister's attention before he pressed the opening of the bottle to the window where a walker's mouth was, the monster's teeth started to chatter, desperately trying to get to the bottle. The siblings laughed as Merle pulled the bottle away and handed it to his sister who took another swig, "Alright, time to roll." He drove away slowly, making sure that the walkers were following the car.

Merle glanced at Evan as she straightened in her seat, throwing her crossbow over her back. They had reached the Governor's property. Merle nodded his head and the two grabbed their rifles and opened their car doors, slipping out in perfect sync. Evan rolled a few times before she followed her brother, the walkers were still following the moving car. They walked slowly, slightly crouched down and their weapons clutched tightly in their hands. Merle glanced at Evan and nodded his head towards one of the garages. His sister returned the nod and the two disappeared into the garage, closing the door behind themselves.

The Governor's men started to get into view, some of them made their way closer to the car, taking down walkers. Evan and Merle snaked further into the garage, stopping in front of a few windows. Evan crouched down on one knee, positioning the automatic on her shoulder as she fixed her aim, "You ready for this shit, my dear brother?" Merle fixed his aim, readjusting the way the rifle was leaned against his metallic prosthesis before he nodded, humming approvingly, "Let's do some gratuitous violence." He pulled the trigger first, Evan following.

Two men fell down first, another following quickly. Screams erupted, followed by Martinez's voice, "Boss, a herd's coming! We've gotta go! They're everyone!" The two came into line of sight, both shooting at the walkers. Evan aimed for the Governor and pulled the trigger, one of the Governor's men stepped forward, shooting at the walkers. He accidentally got in the way of the bullet and fell to the ground. Martinez and Philip looked up and their eyes landed on the two Dixon's. Philip groaned as a bullet grazed him and he quickly hid behind the corner of a garage, "Everyone, retreat! Now!" The Governor's men started to do as told, shooting at both the siblings and the walkers as they started to retreat, moving back to their vehicles. Evan and Merle continued to shoot after them, until they were out of sight. Evan glanced at her brother as she paused, keeping her finger close to the trigger, "What are we gonna do now?" He scrunched up his face before he finally released the trigger, "We should wait, the biters are gonna be munchin' on the people we took out, if there's anyone trying to ambush us," a scream echoed from somewhere in the distance, which made Merle nod approvingly, "like this guy, the herd's gonna take care of 'em."

Merle lowered himself to the ground, putting the rifle by his side. He leaned his elbows on his knees, panting slightly, "Alright. Let's wait this out." Evan nodded as she took her crossbow from her back and rested it on the floor by her side, her breath slightly labored. Her older brother looked at her as he used his good hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, "Y'know. I don't wanna think 'bout how it could've ended if ya didn't come with me." Evan looked back at him as she nodded, "We're family. I already told you. If we go down, we go down together. But we didn't." She smiled slightly as she nodded her head, "And now, you can come back." Merle sighed as he shook his head, looking away from Evan, "Eve, I can't-" "You can." Evan nodded shifted to a squatting position directly in front of Merle as she put a hand on her shoulder, "We killed at least five, maybe even more of their men. The walkers must have killed quite a few of them as well." She put her free hand on his cheek, making him look her in the eyes, "Brother, you just gave us a chance. You did. You saved us. Rick's gonna have to count that for something." She patted his cheek gently as she cocked her head to the side, "If he doesn't, I'm gong to beat his ass without a second thought, take you and Daryl and we're leaving, alright?" She sighed when Merle looked down at his lap. "You're thinkin' of him, aren't ya? Hey, remember what you told us, what you told me." Merle met her gaze as she continued, "I understand you. I know you. You said you don't know why you do the things you do, but I do. You do what daddy taught you. You do things to prove yourself you're not what he told you . You hurt others before you could get hurt... Y'know what you're right, you're so much more than what he told you. You're my brother and before that, deep down in your heart, you're a good man." Evan nodded her head firmly as she shifted, gripping his shoulders with both hands, "These people, they're family too. They can become yours too, you just have to let them in. Let me in, brother." Merle let out a shaky breath as he grabbed her shoulder. He pulled Evan into a hug, holding the back of her head. She nuzzled his shoulder as she gripped the back of his shirt. Merle nodded his head as he gulped, "Alright. We're going back."

Evan smiled as she pulled back, getting to her feet. She held out her hand which Merle took gratefully, getting to his feet. Evan slung her crossbow over her shoulder as she flinched, "Shit, I fucked up the stitches." Merle sighed as he grabbed the automatic rifle, "We're gonna have Hershel take a look." Evan nodded as she started walking to the exit, Merle right behind her. The younger of the two checked for any walkers, then she nodded, giving Merle the good to go. The two spilled out of the garage and walked into the clearing in the middle of the property, looking around. Merle whistled lowly as he looked at the walkers feeding on the dead bodies, "We did quite the damage, didn't we?" Evan hummed as a reply, readjusting her hold on the rifle, "We did. Let's go back before the geeks decide they want fresh meat."

The two walked through a clearing, the setting sun printing their shadows on the grass which swayed side to side gently due to the slight breeze. Merle was telling Evan a story from his days in the military while the younger of the two listened carefully, she loved the stories from his Marine days, even if she heard them thousand times before. The two were about to reach the edge of the woods that led to the road where they dropped off Michonne before Evan noticed something approaching them from behind the trees. She raised her hand, causing Merle to halt and close his mouth. Evan raised two fingers, pointing them at her eyes before she pointed to the source of movement. Merle nodded his head as the two readjusted their hold on their rifles, taking aim. Evan's eyes widened when no other but Daryl stepped through the trees, coming to a halt at the edge of the clearing.

His crossbow slipped from his fingers as his mouth gaped slightly while his squinted, confused eyes widened tremendously. Evan and Merle glanced at each other before Evan threw the rifle to the ground and broke into a run, Daryl doing the same. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him as she hid her head in the crook of his neck, closing her eyes, trying to keep tears in. One managed to slip when she felt Daryl's tears on her shoulder. Her brother tightened his grip on her and lifted her off the ground briefly. He set her down and Evan kissed the side of his head as the two pulled apart. Merle took cautious steps forward as Evan smiled and nodded encouragingly. He stopped in front of Daryl as he took a deep breath, "Daryl, I-" His eyes widened when Daryl threw his arms around him, bringing him into a bone-crushing hug. Merle exhaled heavily as he wrapped his arms around his younger brother, putting his chin on his shoulder. Daryl tightened his grip on him as he spoke up, his voice soft, almost above a whisper, "I just want my brother back." Merle gave him a reassuring squeeze before the two pulled back, "I ain't going anywhere." The Dixon's stood there, looking at each other, small smiles on their faces and a comfortable silence around them. Evan sighed as she chuckled, shaking her head, "How are we going to fit on the chopper?"

-

Rick paced back on forth in front of the gate, his hands clutching his automatic rifle. Michonne looked at him as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I can go get them." "No." Rick halted as he turned to face her, "Stay here. Daryl's out there, he's gonna bring them back... He will." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Can you... Can you go check on Carl?" Michonne searched the man's eyes for a second before she nodded and headed towards the prison. Rick sighed as he ran his hand over his face before he gripped his weapon with both hands. The sun was starting to set. Maybe they were going to hold up for the night, maybe they were going to come back the next day, early in the morning... Or maybe they got themselves killed. 

Then he heard it. He raised his rifle and took aim, looking through the scope. A smile crawled to his lips as he let out a relived chuckle. Daryl was riding the motorcycle, leaning slightly on the gas tank, Evan was behind him almost in a piggy back position and Merle was sitting on the back seat, a wide shit-eating grin on his face. Rick aimed at the walkers blocking their way, clearing out a path for the three. Once they were close enough, he slung the rifle over his shoulder and unlocked the padlock, undoing the chains. He slid the gate open and when the motorcycle passed through safely, he slid it back shut, doing the lock. 

Rick turned around and chuckled as he watched the siblings untangle themselves, Daryl was talking as he stretched, "Damn, last time we did that we were like, five." Evan nodded as she punched his shoulder playfully, "You have to start a diet, baby brother." Merle laughed as he shook his head, watching his younger siblings interact. Evan chuckled as she turned to Rick, her laughter turning into a simple smile. Rick took a few steps closer as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in a hug, "I'm so happy you're okay." They pulled back and Rick nodded his head at the oldest Dixon, "All of you." Merle bit the inside of his cheek as he stepped closer, "Rick... I, y'know..." Rick nodded his head as he outstretched his hand. Merle glanced at it before he met the ex-sheriff's eyes, "I'd shake it, but..." Rick visibly paled as his eyes went wide, muttering a silent, "Oh shit." under his breath. He outstretched his left hand and Merle chuckled as he grabbed it and shook it firmly, the twins tried to contain their laughter, Evan failing. Rick rolled his eyes as he stepped back and he looked at the three Dixon's. He mentioned with his head to the prison, "Come on. We're gonna talk the plan over at dinner."

He headed inside and the Dixon's shared a look before they followed. It was a long day, for sure. They all knew that the next day was going to be even tougher, but that didn't matter. What did, was that they were together and ready to face the battles of tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like how this chapter turned out! One more chapter and season three is DONE! I can't wait to write season four, but before that, I'm gonna go down my own story line for a bit.   
> Also, it would mean a lot if you checked out my other book called Blood First! Thanks!


	34. Blue Meets Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan, Daryl and Michonne go after the Governor. However, when Rick calls Evan back home, at home is where she stays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter like, so much. It was really relaxing, kinda made me feel giddy.  
> Y'all should expect one or two more chapters until we get into season four. I hope you don't mind the change of the plot line.

(between season three and four)

Around two months passed since the attack of the Woodbury citizens. Rick stayed behind the fences, dealing with the newcomers while Michonne, Evan and Daryl spent most of their time outside, looking for the Governor. It seemed as if he disappeared from the face of the Earth, nor Evan nor Daryl were able to catch a trace of the one-eyed dictator, but Michonne was determined to keep looking. The twins, even if they didn't want to, decided to stay back once they made it home, which was going to be in two days.

Evan and Michonne were cuddled close to each other while Daryl poked the fire with a stick before he threw it in, adding more firewood into the fireplace. How lucky were they, not only weren't they sleeping in a car in the middle of the winter, but they had the luck to come across an old, small house with a fireplace and quite some firewood in the basement, along with some blankets. Evan was quick to make two of the blankets into ponchos, giving one of them to Michonne and keeping the other to herself, Daryl still kept the poncho Beth made out of a horse blanket. Their jackets didn't give them enough warmth. 

Daryl sighed as he plopped back down between the two, tucking both women under his arms. Michonne chuckled as she leaned into his side, looking into the fire, the flame dancing in her beautiful brown eyes, "It's funny how fast you get comfortable around people when you're basically freezing." Evan hummed in agreement as she leaned her head against her brother's chest, making him tighten her grip around her, "You had to see us last winter. I genuinely hated the fact that I didn't have a camera." Daryl sighed as he shook his head, catching on where his sister was going, "I wake up, sit up, rub the sleep from my eyes and what do I see? Rick and this motherfucker right here, laying on their sides in the corner, facing each other, legs tangled, arms wrapped around each other's waist, Rick was using Daryl's arm as a pillow." Daryl scoffed when Michonne started laughing quietly, "Stop." His twin started laughing along as she continued, "You wanna know what was even better? Daryl was awake, looking at Rick while he slept." Michonne bowed her head as she snorted, which caused Daryl to slap her shoulder playfully, "Oh shut it. Man was so peaceful, it was weird, seein' him like that after ta Ricktatorship." Evan raised her hand and wiped away the tears of laughter as she shook her head, "You just had to see the panic in his eyes, he was freaking terrified." At that she earned a slap on her shoulder which made her poke Daryl in the ribs harshly, causing him to shriek, "Oh you lil shit!"

The next day, early in the morning, Michonne and Evan left Daryl in the house and walked around the neighborhood, looking for supplies. Evan saw Michonne biting her cheek from time to time, something was definitely on her mind. The blonde glanced at her friend as she stood on the counter in the kitchen, looking through the top shelves that went up to the ceiling, "What's on your mind?" Michonne raised an eyebrow as she put three cans of corn in her bag, "What do you mean?" Evan shrugged as she turned her attention back to the shelves, not finding anything useful, "I don't know, something's up. Wanna share?" Her comrade shrugged, playing it clueless as she leaned against the fridge, dropping the bag by her feet and crossing her arms over her chest, "Your brother was strangely open yesterday. It's weird, seeing him like that." Evan hummed as she moved to sit down on the counter before she slid off to her feet, leaning her elbows on the marble surface behind her, "Well, you're one of us. Y'know, before all that shit, it was just Merle who looked to us for anything, and he didn't do it often. It's funny, really, how a crisis such as the end of the world can change you. Daryl? He's not a cuddler. He ain't, I'm pretty much the only person that's allowed to, y'know, get in his space. He's trying to open up to the others too, I can see it. Yesterday he saw you were cold, it was obvious. Hell, my brother's the type of person to take off the shirt from his back for his people. He's kind of like, one of these homeless dogs, y'know? Try to get close way too fast, he's gonna bite you. Approach him slowly, let him trust you at his own pace and he's going to follow you until the rest of his life." Michonne nodded as she hummed thoughtfully, "What about you?" Evan couldn't help but find herself shrugging again, "I don't know." She winked as she pushed herself away from the counter and walked towards the living room, "I'm a damn mystery to me." 

The women were looking through the living room, trying to see if they could find anything useful. Once the house was raided from everything they might need, the two stepped out, making their way back to the house where Daryl was most likely already waiting for them in the car. It was so weird, driving a car and not their brother's chopper. Evan found herself wondering what Merle was doing, she had overheard him talk to Hershel the day they left. They were talking about their alcohol addictions while Merle was taking measures for Hershel's prosthesis, he was going to make him a metal foot so he could walk around easily once he was done with finishing the gate. Rick appreciated Merle's architecture knowledge and the fact that he was good with his hands, well, hand, in general. It also came off as a surprise that he was actually really good with kids when he was sober, the Woodbury children seemed to enjoy his company, Carl called him "badass" once in front of Daryl. Badass surely was exactly the right word to describe the eldest Dixon.

Michonne and Evan were loading their bags in the car while Daryl took care of some issue with the engine, the car was having trouble starting because of the low temperature. Daryl assured the women that the problem would be easy to fix and before they know it they would be speeding down towards their home. He seemed deep in concentration and Evan noticed the way his jaw clenched tightly as he tried to keep his teeth from chattering. Her attention was stolen by Michonne who murmured softly while they stood by the trunk of the car, making sure they had everything, "Earlier you said you're a mystery to yourself. You're a good person, Eve. All of you... Even Merle." Evan chuckled as she cocked her head to the side to glance at the woman beside her, "Even if he tried to kill you twice?" A whistle from Daryl followed by the car door shutting made Michonne slam the trunk shut before she gave Evan a knowing, teasing grin, "He let me go after all, didn't he? It's gotta count for something." She patted her friend's belly before she climbed in the backseat. Evan chuckled as she shook her head. How ridiculous were these two, both had feelings for each other, but assumed it was too early for anything just because they weren't always on the same team. If only Evan knew that she, herself, was in the exact same situation. 

No, she wasn't. She couldn't be. She knew that Rick still loved Lori, even if he seemed to come to terms with his wife's death. There wasn't anything between them. Sure, the night after they welcomed the new people in, he spent the night with Evan, sitting on the roof and talking until sunrise, but he just needed comfort. Evan was taking care of Judith as if she was her own, but so was Daryl, even Merle loved holding the babygirl more than he would like to admit. Rick hugged her goodbye two weeks ago when she left with Michonne and Daryl, he did that last time too. Maybe he held her tighter and closer than usual, the hug lasted longer than usual, but maybe he was just worried, it was a long journey after all. Evan didn't have feelings for Rick, she knew that. She shouldn't. She couldn't. It wasn't right.

The three travelers were surprised to see that the courtyard was theirs again. Evan couldn't help but smile wide and bright when her eyes landed on the gate in front of them. They were able to repair it in just two weeks, that was impressive. Not only was it up again, but while they waited for the gate to open, she also noticed that the gape in the fence was repaired too. There wasn't a single walker in the courtyard, everything was back to how it used to be when they first took over the prison. Well, almost the same. A warm feeling filled Evan's chest when she saw a small crowd gathered in front of the prison, waiting upon their arrival.

Daryl parked the car close to the other vehicles and a part of the crowd were quick to step closer. Daryl jumped out of the car before he made a beeline, seemingly for their oldest brother who waited for him with open arms and a wide, toothy grin on his face. Everyone laughed when Daryl ran straight past Merle and made his way to the chopper, hugging the motorcycle that laid under the cover. Merle gave him a kick in the behind which earned a chuckle from Daryl. The brothers shared a quick embrace while the others greeted Evan and Michonne. Once the male Dixon's had their moment of brotherly affection, they made their way to the others. Rick and Daryl shook hands as Daryl patted the other man's shoulder. Evan tried to hide the smile that crawled to her face when she saw Merle and Michonne share a hug, exchanging quiet words in hushed voices. Rick slapped his hands, rubbing them together as he suggested, "I say we head inside to catch up, it's way too cold for that here." They all agreed and started making their way to the main part of cell block "C" where they usually hung out, even if all cell blocks were clean and available. 

After dinner everyone went their own ways, making small groups and talking to keep each other entertained. Merle was sketching down in a notepad, discussing the possibilities of building a kitchen area outside with some of the men. They were also discussing the plan of making a water system, something they could start working on next month as the winter would start to fade and turn into spring. Hershel threw in the topic of a garden and place to have animals such as pigs, maybe a dairy cow if they were lucky, horses too. They could start working on everything soon, they also had more people, more hands to work with, things would be easier. 

Rick chuckled, catching Evan's attention. The two were sitting on the steps of the main part of the cell block, watching their family interact. Rick elbowed Evan in the side gently as he gestured towards the other end of the room, "Uncle Daryl's in action." Evan looked to the corner of the room and smiled brightly when she saw Daryl sitting on the ground cross-legged, holding Judith to his chest with one arm while he held a book in his free hand, judging by the way his lips moved, Evan assumed he was reading the book to the babygirl. Evan chuckled as she looked at the man who sat beside her, "He wouldn't shut up about how much he missed little ass-kicker while we were away." Rick chuckled before he glanced at the ground, his smile fading away slowly, "Yeah... She missed him too, you as well. Merle is surprisingly good with her though, even if one time he almost forgot to take off his blade and damn near gave me a heart attack." Evan chuckled as she shook her head. She noticed that Rick's smile was off so she decided to tell him the news, "Daryl and I decided to stay. When Michonne goes out, she's going to be alone. The trail went cold a long time ago. We decided we could help here." 

Rick's eyes lit up so much, he almost looked like a child on Christmas that received the wanted present. Evan couldn't help but get lost in his crystal blues, she found herself doing that often. A feeling of comfort washed over her like a drug she had been craving when Rick searched her eyes with the equal amount of passion. Everything around them seemed to disappear slowly as blue met blue. Rick's voice was as soft as velvet when he spoke up, murmuring softly, "I can't stay away from you. Can't have you leave again." Evan's breath hitched in her throat as the buzzing in her ears from the blood rush in her veins made her eyes water. She hoped her voice was steady enough when she spoke up, the volume familiar to Rick's, "I'm not going anywhere."

And just like that, a whisper that didn't leave Rick's lips ruined whatever they had going on, "Where are the diapers?" Rick got up quickly, giving Evan a nod before he walked over to Daryl and took his fussy daughter, an unpleasant smell definitely lingered in the air even after the baby was taken down to the cells to get changed. Evan ran her hand over her face before she disappeared in the cell block, going to her cell, ready to call it a night after such a long, tiring day.


	35. Was That Going To Be Her Last Day?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michonne and Merle are together, Evan and Daryl go check out the big spot... Things don't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates!

season four

Things couldn't be any better.

Evan stood on the edge of the prison roof, her crossbow slung over her shoulder, resting comfortably on her back where it belonged. Her long, blonde hair was in her signature bun on top of her head while her bandana was wrapped tightly around her head, keeping the stray hairs off her neck. Merle's sweatshirt hugged her torso, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows as she kept it unzipped, revealing her black shirt underneath. Her knife rested on the right side of her belt like usual, her gun in its holster and a box of ammo in the pocket of her camouflage pants. She raised a hand to block out the sun from her vision as she looked around the courtyard and for the first time in a while, she felt complete peace.

Evan slid down the ladder and jumped down to the ground, accidentally scaring away two of their newcomers which Daryl and Glenn brought back two weeks ago. She gave them a shit eating grin as she walked past them and headed towards the huge, wooden gazebo Merle and his "construction buddies" built two months ago. It had a kitchen area, comfortable for cooking along with a platform with tables, one table enough to fit five people, more if they were slightly squished. That wasn't the only thing Merle was able to build, he also fixed one of the guard towers and turn it into his own apartment, he made a couple of wooden sheds which where close to the gazebo, they were really comfortable for storage. It was crazy, what wonders Merle could do when he was sober. The last time he drank something was the cheap whiskey in the car with Evan, which was six months ago. Everyone was proud of how far he had gone, everyone in the group, even Glenn learned to call him family. Or, well, he was trying to.

Evan leaned her elbows on the counter as she patted Merle on the back, the man was talking to Carol who was preparing the meat the Dixon twins brought back yesterday. Merle gave his younger sister a wide smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her into a sideways hug. Evan reached over and grabbed a small piece of crust, throwing it in her mouth and chewing happily as Carol swatted her hand, "Is my brother not awake yet?"

Before anyone could reply, a round of cheerful, "Good morning Daryl!"'s filled the air. Merle and Evan looked over their shoulders and both had shit-eating grins on their faces when Daryl stepped on the platform, greeting the people around him with simple waves and nods of the head. The third Dixon made his way to the counter and patted his brother on the back as he looked lovingly at the meat Carol was cooking, "Smells good." Carol smirked slightly as she looked up at him, batting her eyelashes like an innocent school girl while she handed him a bowl full with meat strips, "Just so you know, I liked you first." Evan and Merle snickered, earning a scoff and eye-roll from their brother, "Stop." Another person passed, seemingly from the new, and wished Daryl a good morning. Merle rolled his eyes as he elbowed his sister, "Our brother seems ta have a fan base now, doesn't he?" Evan shrugged as she glanced at the man who disappeared behind a corner, "I don't know, what I do know is that I can't remember that guy's name for the life of me." Carol shrugged as she wiped her hands on a towel, "Y'know, Rick brought in a lot of them, too." She winked at the youngest of the Dixon's as she walked around the counter, standing closer to the other three, " Give the stranger sanctuary, keeping people fed, you're gonna have to learn to live with the love." Daryl shrugged as he huffed a breath, seeming slightly embarrassed as he continued to shove the food in his mouth, "Right." The slightly older woman gave him a smile before she looked at a boy behind the counter, "Patrick, you want to take over?" The boy from Woodbury nodded eagerly as he stepped forward, "Yes ma'am." Daryl put the bowl on the counter in front of Evan, whispering in her ear, "Finish that." Before he could walk off with Carol, Patrick spoke up, "Mister Dixon," Evan and Merle shared a glance as they watched the scene unfold, the boy was clearly addressing Daryl, "I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday. It-It was a real threat, sir. And I'd be honored to shake your hand." Evan saw Merle's shoulders shaking as he tried to contain his laughter when Daryl gave his siblings a confused glance. He licked his fingers clean, which nearly made Evan's eyes water from how much she wanted to laugh, before he gripped the boy's hand way too hard than normally appropriate. Once they shook hands, Daryl gave him a smart-ass smile and walked after Carol who, by the way she was hugging herself, was trying to keep her laughter in as well. 

Evan shook her head as she shoved the last strip in her mouth before she pushed herself away from the counter, slapping Merle on the back, "Wanna go bully Rick?" Without having to be asked twice, Merle jumped from the chair and followed his sister away from the gazebo and towards the stables. Evan brought two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly, catching both Carl and Rick's attention as they stood by the wooden fence, seemingly discussing the fate of the pig. Both Grimes's waved when they saw the rednecks making their way over. Evan smiled as she tipped Carl's hat playfully before she crossed her arms over her chest, "What are gonna do?" Before Rick could reply, a loud whistle caught their attention and Merle's face lit up like a child on Christmas.

Michonne was on her galloping horse, her dark brown dreads swaying gracefully behind her back. Rick and Carl quickly ran to the gate, pulling it open while Merle seemed to be frozen on his feet in awe. Evan chuckled as she shook her head, elbowing him in the ribs teasingly, "Someone's fallen off into the deep end." Merle shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of water in his ears before he scoffed, puffing out his chest, "Merle ain't no school girl." Evan snorted as they started walking, "Yeah, just like Daryl ain't Carol's bitch." Her older brother scrunched up his nose as he shook his head, "She's like his mother, are you blind or what?" Before Evan could reply, Michonne jumped down from the horse which immediately got Merle's full attention. Mich opened her arms as she gave the man a wide, toothy grin, "Missed me?" Merle wrapped her in his arms and kissed the corner of her mouth before he pulled her into a tight hug, humming contently as he lifted her off the ground in joy, "You ain't got no idea, Señorita." He put her back down on the ground and Evan scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "Eww, get a room, you two." Merle gave her the bird as Carl and Rick rushed over, excited to see Michonne. Michonne snapped her fingers as she reached into her bag just as Carl came to a halt next to her, "Guess what I've got for ya." She handed Carl a pack of comics before she made her way to Merle, allowing her boyfriend to wrap his arm around her shoulders and bring her closer to his side. The boy gasped in delight as a huge smile lit up his face, "Awesome! Thank you!" Merle nodded his head as he puckered his lips, humming thoughtfully, "Superman..." He winked at Carl as he nodded his head, "I wanna read 'em when you're done."

The sound of the motorcycle's engine brought everyone's attention. Evan looked over her shoulder and waved when she saw Daryl ride the chopper down the courtyard, the Hyundai and truck behind him. He slowed down the motorcycle to a halt and cut the engine, squinting his eyes against the sunlight as he gave Michonne a nod in the way of greeting, "Glad to see ya in one piece." Michonne sighed as she stepped away from Merle and stood closer to Daryl, "Didn't find him. I'm thinking of looking over near Macon. It's worth the shot." Daryl glanced briefly at his brother's worried expression and raised a hand, shielding his eyes from the sunlight as he shrugged, "Miles of walkers. You might run into a few unneighborly types. Is it?" Michonne sighed as she shrugged, keeping her eyes to the ground.

Daryl turned to Evan and Rick who stood side-by-side and spoke up, "I'm gonna go check out the Big Spot. The one I was talking about, worth seeing. Wanna tag along?" Evan shrugged as she put her hands on her hips, humming positively, "Sure, ain't got nothing better to do." Michonne nodded as she slung the strap of her katana over her shoulder, "I'll go." Merle sighed as he glanced at her, "You just got back?" Michonne nodded before she kissed his cheek, "And I'll come back." Merle watched as Michonne walked away and got into the truck. Rick nodded as he glanced at Evan, then back at Daryl, "Yeah, I got to go out and check the snares. I don't want to lose whatever catch we have to the walkers." Daryl nodded as he gnawed on his bottom lip, lowering his hand and turning the key, "Alright." Evan straddled the backseat then wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist. Her brother patted Rick's belly as a farewell and the man nodded as he ran over to the gate, ready to open it. Evan waved as Daryl sped past Rick, then she put her hand back on her brother's hip and enjoyed the ride.

-

"So, army camp?" 

Daryl nodded as he glanced at his sister, both had their crossbows in their hands, "Yep. Army came 'ere, put up these fences. Made it a place for the people to go. Last week when we spotted this place, there was a bunch of walkers behind this chain-link keeping people out like a bunch of guard dogs." He glanced at Zach who frowned as he hooked his fingers on the fence, looking around the property, "So they all just left?" Daryl shook his head, "Give a listen." Evan strained her hearing and sure, over the sound of the anxious, loud music, she heard snarling and moaning, "You drew them out?" Sasha nodded as she elaborated, Evan looked over her shoulder to look at the woman, "Put a boom box out there three days ago, hooked it up with two car batteries." Evan nodded as she hummed thoughtfully, her brother whistled as he started walking, getting through a gap in the fence, "Alright, let's make a sweep. Make sure it's safe, grab what you can, we'll come back with more people." 

The others started going through the army camp while Evan, Daryl, Zach and Michonne made their way to the supermarket. Daryl sat on the ledge as he banged his elbow against the window, "Just give it a second." Evan took her bandana off and stuffed it into her pocket as she fixed her messy bun. Zach chuckled as he moved to lean against the wall, keeping his arms crossed over his chest, "I think I got it." Evan rolled her eyes as she tied the bandana around her head tightly, glancing at Michonne as she explained, "He's been trying to guess what we did before the turn. Guessed that I was a prostitute once, I clocked him in the nose and ever since, he's only been trying to guess what Daryl did." Daryl scoffed as he glanced at Michonne, "He's been trying for like, six weeks." Zach rolled his eyes as he shrugged, "Yeah, I'm pacing myself. One shot a day." Daryl sighed as he closed his eyes briefly before he nodded, reopening them, "Alright, shoot." Zach pushed himself off the wall and hummed as he lowered himself next to Daryl, "Well, with the way you are at the prison," Evan threw her hands in the air, pure disbelief on her features as Michonne frowned, "you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still kind of... surly." Michonne leaned against the wall as she glanced at Evan who just shrugged before she put her hands on her hips. Zach nodded as he glanced at the ground, Daryl kept his eyes on the boy, clearly bored out of his mind, "Big swing here," he snapped his fingers as he looked back at the older man, "homicide cop." Evan and Michonne glanced at each other before Michonne busted out laughing, leaning her forehead against the wall, Evan rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What's so funny?" Michonne shook her head as she wiped her eye, "Nothing. It makes perfect sense." Daryl spoke up, getting the others' attention, "Actually, the man's right. Undercover." Evan bit her tongue to hide her laughter when she saw Zach's face, " Come on, really?" Evan nodded her head as she stepped closer, keeping her voice firm and even, "Yep. I slept with his boss, got him the job." Daryl nodded his head as he glanced at his sister before he looked back at the kid, "I don't like ta talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, y'know. Evan doesn't talk about it either, son of a bitch was married, she fell for that bastard." Zach glanced back and forth between the twins who bath kept a perfect poker face, "No, guys, really?" The siblings glanced at each other and Evan gave in, laughing as she shook her head. Zach sighed as he shrugged, "Okay. I'll just keep guessing then." Daryl nodded as he chuckled, "Yeah, you keep doing that." Just as he ended his sentence, two walkers slammed themselves against the window, creating a thumping sound against the reflective glass. Daryl and Zach pushed themselves off the ledge as the others made their way closer, "Alright, let's clean up and do a sweep."

Taking care of the walkers didn't take much time at all. Some grabbed shopping carts while others just shoved the needed supplies in their backpacks. Evan shoved a few cans of energy drinks she found in her backpack. Things were going smooth until something broke and Bob screamed out in pain. Evan cursed under her breath as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Just as she reached the place of the accident, the ceiling caved in and a walker fell from the roof. Evan was quick to raise her crossbow in alert as she looked around, taking everything in. Bob was stuck under a knocked-over shelf, walkers were falling from the ceiling and if they didn't move fast, things were going to get bad. 

Everything happened way too fast. Evan got separated from the group, cornered as walkers started getting closer and closer. She didn't have time to reload and her hands were occupied by holding back the walkers by their throats, kicking and punching them away. She heard her brother's panicked yells, telling her to get out now, but before she could respond, the ceiling cave in, trapping her inside the building. Her breath was labored, she could barely breathe as she kicked a walker away. Was that how she was going to die? Eaten by a bunch of walkers while her brother screamed and yelled out for her in desperation? Did she tell Merle goodbye? Did she hug Carl before leaving? What was the last thing she told Rick? Was it something worth remembering? 

Was that going to be her last day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two things to ask!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> Is Daryl gonna find out about Rick?   
> Plus, HOW COME I DIDN'T FIND OUT THAT NORMAN DIES ONLY 25 MINUTES INTO TRIPLE NINE???????????  
> Anyways, have a nice day, y'all.


	36. Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan survives, we have some Rickyl bromance time. Just a filler.

season four

Was that how she was going to die? Eaten by a bunch of walkers while her brother screamed and yelled out for her in desperation? Did she tell Merle goodbye? Did she hug Carl before leaving? What was the last thing she told Rick? Was it something worth remembering?

Was that going to be her last day?

There was no way she could die like that.

With every bit of power and strength she had left in her, Evan screamed out loud as she punched a walker square in the face. She reached down and quickly grabbed her knife, then drove it through the skull of the walker that tried to take a chunk of her neck. She fought with all of her power, screaming and shoving her knife in the heads of the walkers. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. If she died, then hell, at least she fought until the very last moment.

Evan's breath was labored as she looked down at herself. She was covered in blood, head to toe, but she was alright. She was alive. She did it. She pushed through, killed every single walker she was trapped with. Evan looked around as her chest heaved up and down, there was snarling from everywhere around her and the crumbled shelves and parts of the ceiling weren't going to keep her separated from the walkers for much longer, she had to think fast. Then she heard the muffled screams of her brother and something in her snapped. She turned around and cursed under her breath when she remember the window was made out of reflective glass, she could see the outside, but the people on the outside couldn't see her. Her brother's face was red, slightly puffy and tear-drenched as he screamed at Sasha, Michonne looked shocked. Zach was nowhere to be seen. Glenn looked heart-broken as he steadied Bob, Tyreese was trying to explain something to Sasha. Then Evan got an idea.

Evan took the gun from it's holster and took the safety off, making sure it was loaded. She knew there was a risk of screwing her eardrums, but she didn't care. It was her only chance of survival. Pointing the gun to the glass window, she cursed under her breath before she pulled the trigger. Everyone jumped on the other side, Daryl looked at the window in disbelief. Evan fired again, more and more cobwebs cracks started to appear. Michonne swung her katana at the window, trying to break the glass, her brother swung his crossbow, letting out grunts from the force of his power, Evan put the gun back in it's holster as she picked her crossbow from the ground and swung at the glass with all of her strength. Shards of the broken glass started to cut her skin, but she didn't care, there was a hole through the window and she could see her brother's Georgia blues, the hope, fear and desperation in them. Then, the glass finally caved in, but so did the shelves behind her. A walker grabbed Evan's ankle as Daryl grabbed her hands and pulled her. Her foot slipped from the slimy hold of the rotting hands and she bit down a scream when she cut her ankle on a part of the window.

Daryl took her into his arms as she went limp into his arms from exhaustion. His loud voice kept her awake as her head pounded from the way she was bouncing in his arms, they were running. Michonne jumped in the bed of the truck and Daryl lowered Evan gently, Michonne pulled Evan closer, holding her in her arms, her face in the crook of the slightly older woman's neck, her crossbow was beside her. Soon, the shaking of the truck and the rumble of Daryl's motorcycle calmed her nerves. Michonne continued to stroke her back, holding her body tightly against her own. 

They were back at the prison when Michonne lowered Evan into Daryl's arms, but she squirmed, "I can walk, I-I'm fine." Daryl shook his hands as he tightened his hold on her, "Your ankle's fucked up, I don't wanna cause any more damage-" "Evan!" Both Rick and Merle ran to the truck while the others piled out. Merle put his hand on Evan's cheek as he scanned her for any bites or scratches, "What the hell happened?!" Daryl grunted as Merle took her into his arms, causing her to sigh, "Guys, I just got some cuts from the glass, no big deal, put me down." She sighed as Rick, Daryl and Merle started running to their cell block, Daryl and Rick screaming for Hershel as they made their way to Evan's cell. The man was quick to collect his medical kit as he hurried after them, worry clear on his features, "What happened?" Daryl explained as Merle lowered his sister on the bed, "She got trapped, plan went wrong in the Big Spot."

Evan sighed as Hershel asked for a bucket of water and a cloth, Rick left to get the needed things, "Can y'all calm the hell down and let me do the talking?" She looked at Hershel as she started explaining, "Most of it is just walkers' blood, I have a bunch of cuts from the glass but I'm alright. All that needs to be done is wrap up my ankle and that's it. Can you do just that?" Hershel sighed as he looked back at Daryl, "You gave me a damn near heart attack, son." He looked back at Evan, "You can wash up now, but be quick, the bleeding has slowed down, the water will help, I suggest using cold water, it will help with closing up the blood vessels." Rick stormed in with the bucket and cloth, Hershel spoke up apologetically, "I'm sorry, Rick, but can you grab my crutches instead?" Merle got up as he slapped Rick on the back, "I'll go." Hershel looked at Daryl as he spoke up, "You can go just in case, make sure she doesn't slip or anything, help her if she needs anything." Daryl nodded as he pushed himself off the wall and made his way to Evan's makeshift closet, picking out undergarments, a towel, t-shirt and sweatpants while Evan rid herself of her the holster. Her crossbow was leaned against the wall, which meant they brought it back from the truck, thank God her baby was okay.

Once Merle got back with the crutches, Evan hauled herself off the bed and held onto them, limping towards the bathrooms with Daryl trailing close behind her. She pulled the curtain behind her and stripped from her clothes while Daryl sat on a chair, waiting for her. It didn't take her long and Daryl handed her the towel first, shoving his hand as he pushed the towel through, his head turned to the side as he clenched his eyes shut. When Evan handed him back the towel, meaning she had dried off, Daryl started handing her clothing items one by now. When she was dressed, Daryl helped her put back one of her socks and slid on one of her boots on her foot before Evan leaned against the crutches again and wobbled towards her cell, Daryl made sure to walk a pace slower than usual, making sure his sister could keep up easily. When they reached her cell, Evan sighed as she lowered herself down on her bed, Hershel was sitting on a chair he most likely brought in while she was showering, "Can you give me some pain meds?" Hershel nodded as he pulled out the small plastic bottle from his pocket, "Already thought of it." He handed Evan the bottle as he started wrapping up Evan's ankle, "I'm going to wrap it up tight so you can walk around more easily, it's best if you don't use your leg for a few days." He sighed when the woman swallowed the pill dry, "There's a bottle of water at the foot of the bed." Evan shrugged as she ran a hand over her face, "It's gonna kick in faster that way." Daryl worried with his lip as he pushed himself off the wall, "I'm gonna head out, do ya need me for anything?" Both Hershel and Evan shook their heads.

Once they wished each other goodnight, Daryl walked to the main part of the cell block where Rick was sitting on the steps, cradling baby Judy. Daryl ended up washing his hands in the bathrooms while his sister took a shower, he had made a habit to keep his hands clean, sometimes he would rub them until they were red just so he could make sure he could hold Judith safely. Rick chuckled when he saw Daryl check out his hands, "Wanna hold her?" Daryl bit the side of his thumb, a nervous habit he had from his childhood before he nodded his head and sat down next to Rick. Daryl was the only person who knew exactly how to hold Judith, how to hold her head up and make sure she was comfortable. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of Judy's head as he swayed her slightly from side to side, rocking her to sleep in a pace that usually had her falling asleep in less than five minutes. Rick sighed before he spoke up, "Merle told Beth about Zach, went to his tower with Michonne after. He said Beth took it well, way better than he expected. He was pretty worried about Evan." Daryl nodded as he ran his thumb over Judith's shoulder, caressing it, "I was too... It was a close call." There was still tension in his lungs when he thought of losing anyone from his family. Not his group, family. Rick, Evan, Carol, Carl, Judith, Merle, Michonne, the Greene's... That was his biggest fear. 

He looked down at the baby who started dozing off, soon to fall asleep, "Needed ta hold Lil' Ass kicker is all." Rick chuckled as he leaned his elbows on his knees, "You're better with her than I am." Daryl glanced at Rick as a slight smile curled the right corner of his thin lips, "Nah." Rick continued to look at the two while Daryl looked down at the baby in his arms, "How come you're so good with kids? Not just Judith, I've seen you around the kids from Woodbury, Carl too." Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as he kept his eyes away from Rick, "Merle n' Evan are jus' as good with 'em." "You have a special connection with kids. I see it. You see it too, you love kids, I can tell." The archer breathed through his nose as he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, "I dunno... Ya used ta be a cop. 'M sure you figured out mah daddy didn't get the Father Of The Year award." Rick sighed as he nodded, but he didn't say anything, he knew Daryl wasn't finished. "Merle went down a rough path... Became angry. Evan became strong, the strength she holds... Is unbelievable. I-I dunno about me..." "...You wanted to make sure that no child goes through the things you've been through." Daryl nodded as he looked into the sheriff's eyes, he was able to read underneath the lines. 

He was grateful he had Rick. Ever since the farm, back when they had to hold each other in the cold, winter nights, back when they had to share everything, take their shirts off their backs for each other, they built a bond. He and Evan taught Rick how to hunt, set up snares, hell, they even knew how to communicate with whistles. But something Daryl only ever had with Merle and Evan, he had that with Rick too. He was sure the man could read him like a book. He was sure the man knew him better than he knew himself. He was sure Rick felt the same way, because he saw it in the man's eyes. Trust. Loyalty. Understanding. Everything was there. 

That was why he didn't flinch when Rick put a hand on his knees and gave it a squeeze before letting go. He remembered how long it took him to get used to contact. He still found himself flinching when the others sometimes approached him too fast or spoke too loudly while they were in the same room. But he wanted to push through, he knew that Rick was just like Evan, just like Merle, so he decided to open up. And Rick saw that too, that was why he helped him open up. Whenever Daryl tried to get back the chip on his shoulder, Rick stood directly in front of him. Whenever Daryl tried to look away, Rick's eyes were right into his. Daryl tried harder, because he knew Rick. He remembered Lori bitching about how Rick wasn't much of a talker, never really showed much emotion, wasn't much into physical contact, but he had that connection with Evan. That meant Daryl could try as well. Hell, even Merle started to develop that connection with Officer Friendly. Maybe Rick was just that type of guy.

What Daryl did know, was that if anything, Rick was his first, true and loyal friend he ever had. And he was grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say, from season one to season four, the book was more into Evan's point of view. From season four, until said otherwise, I'm going to slowly switch to Daryl's point of view. I hope y'all are okay with that.


	37. Infected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flu takes over the prison... And, for lack of better words, everything goes to shit.

season four

Cell block "D" was full of walkers and nobody had a clue of how it all happened. 

Evan ran inside after she heard the first gunshot, ignoring the pain in her ankle that shot through her entire leg as she threw open the gate. Quickly rising her crossbow and pulling the trigger, the arrow went straight through the head of a walker that was dangerously close to her. Cursing under her breath, she slung her crossbow over her shoulder as she kicked back another walker and grabbed her gun. After she knocked down the safety, she started firing, killing as many of the walkers as she could, she realized the person to fire the first gunshot was Glenn. Merle, Daryl, Rick, Tyreese, Sasha and Carol stormed inside, helping them with taking the people to safety and killing the walkers. Some people locked themselves in the cells while others ran for their lives, but hell had went loose before it was even noon.

A lot of people were killed, but they were able to take care of the walkers. Evan was on the second storey as she checked the cells when a walker lunged itself at her, throwing her against the railing. She panicked when she couldn't raise her crossbow and her feet started to lift from the floor, it wasn't that big of a fall from the second storey, but if she fell the wrong way... However, before she knew it, an arrow went through the head of the walker and Merle's hands grabbed her before she could fall over, "I've gotcha, sis, I've gotcha." Evan's breath was labored as she nodded her thanks to Daryl as Merle stepped back. Glenn and Rick joined them as Daryl frowned at the walker that nearly got his sister, "T'was Patrick." Evan recognized the boy who just yesterday was living his best life because Daryl shook his hand, how could he die so fast without even getting bit?

The group went around, making sure the dead stayed dead. Grief filled the room, it was... Depressing. People sobbed as they put white sheets over the bodies of their friends, others held their close ones tight as they put a knife through their skull because they've gotten bit, it made Evan's stomach turn. She had forgotten how bad it was, they didn't have such a tragedy happen for, weeks, maybe over a month. 

There was a sharp whistle that caused Evan to whistle back almost immediately. She jerked her wrist, trying to rid her knife from the blood before she left the cell and walked up to the second storey where Hershel, Rick, Doctor S, Daryl and Bob were. Evan stood next to Bob as she frowned down at the bloodied face of the walker, her brother was saying something, "That was Charlie. He used ta sleep walk, locked himself in... Hell man, we were eatin' barbecue yesterday." He glanced at Hershel, sadness clear on his features, "How could someone die overnight just from a cold?" "The pig was sick, died fast too," announced Rick as he looked at doctor S, "Saw a sick boar in the woods too." Evan turned her attention to Hershel who sighed, "Pigs and birds, that's how these things used to spread in the past. We need to do something about these hogs." Doctor S shrugged as he murmured hopefully, "Maybe we got lucky. Maybe these two cases are it." "Haven't seen anybody be lucky in a long time. Bugs like to run through close quarters. Doesn't get any closer than these." Hershel glanced at Evan before he returned his gaze to the body that laid on the ground, "All of us in here, this cell block, we've been exposed." Evan sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Maybe the council should have a meeting." Rick nodded as he stood to his full height, "Yeah, they should." He gave Daryl a nod before he walked off, going to collect the rest of the council. Evan sighed as she patted Bob on the back and walked away, going to check on Merle who was sitting on the steps. Her older brother had deep lines on his forehead as he frowned at one of the covered bodies, a woman from Woodbury was sitting by the body and gently caressing the sheet as she cried, "Her name was Lily. Said my hand was cool, I gave her piggyback rides... She was a good kid." He sighed as he looked at his sister, "Did y'all figure out what happened?" Evan nodded as she sighed, "It's a flu or something. We've all been exposed, the ones in the cell block... We have to stay away from the others for a while, we might risk getting them infected." Merle's eyes flooded with pain as Evan nodded, "I'm sorry but you've gotta stay away from Michonne for a while. That's for the best." Merle nodded solemnly as he shifted his gaze to the ground. Evan sighed as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

Evan put on a pair of gloves and wrapped her bandana around her head, using it as a mask as she left the prison. She grabbed one of the shovels from the shed as she made her way to where Daryl was already standing, in the middle of digging a grave. He paused as he looked at her, "Ya know about the plan?" Evan nodded as she leaned her crossbow against one of the shovels, Daryl had a bunch of them ready, "Yep." She walked over to where the other grave was supposed to be positioned before she looked back at Daryl, gnawing on her bottom lip, "Rick said he's gonna come by shortly, gonna lend a hand." Her brother nodded and started digging as well. The entire situation kind of reminded Evan of when, back at their old camp, her, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog were digging graves after Daryl returned with nothing but Merle's hand, actually, he didn't even have his hand, he lost it on the way. It felt like it was yesterday. Evan missed T-Dog. He was, her brother from another mother. He deserved so much better, but he died like a hero, saved Carol's life. 

The twins had dug quite a few graves by the time Rick joined them. Evan kept her mouth shut, she sensed that there were things that needed to be said between her brother and Rick. Daryl huffed as he leaned against the shovel and glanced at Rick, looking at the man through his brown hair that stick to his sweaty forehead, "Glad you were in there." Rick sighed as he shifted from foot to foot, for the first time he seemed to be the one having trouble with keeping eye contact, "Wasn't much use without my gun." "No, you were." Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as he started digging again, "All this time you've been taking off, you earned it. We wouldn't be here without you." Rick shook his head as he bent down and grabbed a shovel, "It was all of us." "No," Daryl straightened up abruptly as he faced Rick, "it was you first." He paused as he cocked his head to the side, catching Rick's line of sight, "You gonna help us figure this out?" The older of the two sighed as he leaned on the shovel, "I screwed up too many times. Those calls you got to make, I start down that road..." Evan hauled herself up and grabbed her crossbow, leaving the two men to share their heart to heart moment. She felt light-headed anyway, maybe it was because she stayed out under the sun for so long. As she started walking to the prison, she heard Maggie call out for her brother and Rick, panic clear in her tone. When Evan turned towards the sound of the woman's voice, she cursed under her breath and took off running. The fence was giving in. 

Evan grabbed one of the metal poles by the fence while Rick and Daryl caught up to her, Sasha, Tyreese and Glenn were close too. Evan stood next to Maggie and started stabbing the walkers through the fences with no hesitation. For some reason, for the first time in forever, the smell of the rotting flesh under the hot Georgia sun made her sick to her stomach beyond belief. She bit her tongue as a wave of dizziness hit her like a brich wall. She stumbled back as she shook her head before she started stabbing the walkers again, ignoring the worried glance her brother sent her. "Hey, you seeing these?" Evan, Daryl and Rick walked closer to where Sasha stood on the far right and they all frowned when they saw what the younger Williams was talking about. Carcasses of half eaten mice laid by the fence, Sasha looked towards Daryl, "Is someone feeding these things?" Then the fence started caving in. At first everyone stepped back before they started pushing against the fence, but the walkers were too many. Daryl cursed under his breath as he grabbed Rick by the back of his shirt, doing the same with his sister as he pulled them back, out of instinct, "Everyone back, now!" They all stepped away as Evan turned to Rick, "The fence keeps bending in like that, those walkers are coming over it." Rick looked back towards the sty before he looked at Daryl, "Daryl, get the truck, I know what to do." Daryl nodded and ran off while Rick ordered Maggie and Evan to go to the gate. The two women ran as fast as they could, ready to take their post.

Rick's plan worked. Him and Daryl were able to lead away a huge part of the walkers, but it was a huge loss to the group, they had lost the piglets, which immediately put them at risk for future starvation. They had supplies, crops, but with their numbers, they needed the meat and if they didn't go on a run for more supplies, they were at risk for reaching the bottom. So much for thirty-one days without accidents. Evan watched from afar as Rick set the sty on fire, hopefully putting an end to whatever sickness they were dealing with. She pushed away from the wall and started walking, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She decided to go see how Merle was dealing with being isolated. The sick ones were in block "A", everyone who wasn't exposed to the flu was under quarantine and the rest were left to work.

Evan dragged her feet as she felt a coughing fit scratch her lungs. Maybe she should go look for Hershel, but she knew that wherever Merle was, so was Hershel, the men became near inseparable after they realized they had so much in common. They were most likely playing carts in the main part of cell block "C". 

The room started to spin as the same wave of dizziness as before hit her even harder. Everything hurt and she felt as if her lungs were on fire. She had pneumonia two times in her life, once as a kid and back when her and Daryl had to hide in a barn in the middle of the woods after a drug deal went bad and Merle was behind the bars. The feeling was pretty familiar, but it also felt ten times worse. The last time she felt so weak, so vulnerable, so awful, so exhausted was a long, long time ago. She had to lean against the wall for support as her knees started buckling underneath her every second step, there were just a few feet until she reached the cell block. She opened her mouth, her throat dry like sandpaper as she croaked out helplessly, "Hershel! Merle!" She let out a mix between a whine and a grunt as she gripped the wall for support once she reached the entrance to the cell block, "Hershel..." Her knees buckled out beneath her. She didn't have time to break her fall, she simply fell down the steps, hitting her head on the way down. Then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are gonna hate me so much this season, lmaooooo.  
> I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter though!


	38. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan has the flu and Merle refuses to leave her side... Daryl is on his own, but he does have Rick, so everything is okay.

**season: four**

Merle cradled Evan's head in his lap as he gently slapped her cheek, hooking his right arm under her neck, "Hey, hey, hey, Hershel! Hershel!" The man emerged from the cells, he picked up his pace when he saw the two Dixon's, "Turn her to her side!" Evan's breath came in swirls as she started shaking and gasping for air. Hershel pressed the back of his hand to her forehead and he hissed as he looked Merle in the eyes, "She's burning up. Get your brother, he needs to-" "What's going on?!" Both Rick and Daryl fell to their knees just when Evan started shaking from head to toe, her eyelids opening and closing as her mouth gaped like a fish out on the shore, she was having a seizure. Hershel's voice came like a quiet bundle of words that didn't make sense, neither Merle nor Daryl paid much attention, both scared in their spots, they knew they shouldn't try to restrain her because she would only end up hurting herself. After a few agonizing moments, her eyes fluttered closed as her limbs finally relaxed. Hershel looked at the brothers as he got up, "We need to get her to Doctor S, right now."

Merle hurriedly picked her up in his arms, her arms and legs dangling from his grip as her head lulled from side to side from Merle running. Daryl was ahead of them, ready to tell Doctor S to prepare a stretcher, Rick and Hershel were still in the cell block as it was dangerous to go anywhere close to cell block "A". When Merle reached the entrance, Doctor S was already rolling a stretcher, the man himself didn't look that good. He lowered Evan's limp body to the stretcher and Doctor S was quick to roll her in. Daryl went to close the door behind him but Merle put his metallic prosthesis in the way, "I'm staying." Daryl's eyes widened as he shook his head frantically, "Merle, no!" "I have to, Daryl!" Daryl was starting to panic, something Merle saw him do occasionally when he was at home and they were kids. He gripped his brother's shoulder as he kicked the door open before he leaned his prosthesis on Daryl's other shoulder, "Listen 'ere baby brother, I've gotta go. Only way ya can stop me is break my feet and have Officer Friendly lock me up again bit I ain't leavin' Evan alone, alright? Look out for Michonne for me and baby brother, I love ya, okay?" Before Daryl could respond, Merle slammed the door shut behind his back. Daryl cursed under his breath as he leaned his forehead against the huge metal door and kicked it in frustration. He punched the door as he pushed himself away and ran his fingers through his hair. He had to update Rick and Hershel on the situation.

Once he told Hershel and Rick that Merle went in there with Evan, he stalked outside and climbed to the roof, not before making sure the full pack of cigarettes he found in the supermarket where Zach died was in his back pocket, along with a lighter. He lit a cigarette as he plopped down on the middle of the clinking metal that covered the roof. He laid on his back throwing his knee over the other as he covered his face with his forearm. He raised the cigarette to his lips and took long drag, feeling the smoke fill his lungs as he tapped his foot, creating a steady rhythm on the metal. 

A person started climbing up the ladder, but Daryl remained on his back, he was sure it was Rick. His assumption turned to be true when the heels of Rick's cowboy boots made quiet clinking sounds with his every step. Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as he straightened to a sitting position, crossings his legs as he leaned his elbows on his knees, "No need to be all quiet." Rick shrugged as he plopped down to sit next to him, Daryl already handing him his cigarette after he, himself, took a drag, "Figured I'd try and see if I remember any of the shit you taught me about hunting and tracking, and staying quiet and all." Daryl shrugged as Rick took a drag from the cigarette, his cheeks hollowing in, "Ya did a decent job... Ain't ever gonna be able ta sneak up on me, tho." He took the cigarette back from Rick who exhaled the smoke before he asked quietly, "Are you with me?" Daryl looked Rick in the eyes. He flicked the ashes off the cigarette, his eyes flickering downwards before he looked back into Rick's eyes and nodded his head, "Always." Rick nodded and Daryl saw it in his eyes, all the hidden messages, the words that went unspoken, but didn't need to be voiced. _You're not alone. I'm here._ Darylflattened his mouth slightly. _I know._

The next morning Daryl woke up with Rick laying by him, still in the middle of the roof. He frowned when something hit his back. He rolled over and cursed under his breath a rock hit him in the chest. Carol gave him an apologetic look, "Tyreese is looking for you and Rick. It's urgent. Meet us in the inner courtyard." With that, her head disappeared from line of sight as she started going down the ladder. Daryl sat up, ruffling his hair before he looked at the asleep man, "Rick?" A hum came as a reply, Rick was a light sleeper, he was most likely already half awake from his and Carol's conversation, "Tyreese needs us. Said it's urgent." Rick cursed quietly in protest as he sat up, wincing as he reached his hand back and rubbed his shoulder, "I'mma bring a mattress here or something." Daryl snorted as he got up, Rick doing the same. Daryl cursed under his breath when he realized his crossbow was nowhere to be seen, he must have forgotten it yesterday when - Evan. He had to stop by block "A" and ask Merle how their sister is holding up. He glanced at Rick's waist where the man was doing the buckle of his gun holster, "Ya got your gun?" Rick sighed as he nodded, "Yeah... Made that decision yesterday." Daryl nodded his head, deep inside he was absolutely happy from that decision. Every time Rick went outside the fence, to check the snares or something, he was worried sick. He had to admit that he easily found reasons to worry about the older man. 

Rick and Daryl went to the inner courtyard. He shared a worried glance with his friend when they saw a blood trail, leading to where Tyreese and Carol already were. Rick stepped out first, Daryl behind him. He gnawed on his bottom lip when his eyes landed on the bodies, female and male, burnt beyond recognition. Thoughts of his mom immediately filled his mind and Rick must have sensed, because he was the one to speak up, even if he wasn't on the council, "You found them like this?" Tyreese didn't look at the other man, his eyes not leaving the bodies, then it hit him. These were Karen and David, the first ones to be infected after Patrick. Tyreese finally spoke up, his voice quiet as he nodded his head, "Went to check on her... Saw the blood trail..." His voice broke slightly towards the end and Daryl couldn't help but stand back slightly, shooting a worried glance in Rick's way. "Then I smelt it..." Daryl flinched when the huge man raised his voice, gesturing with his hands to the trails of blood, "Somebody dragged them here and set 'em on fire!" He turned harshly and stepped in Rick's personal space, Daryl immediately stepped forward, ready to protect Rick. Tyreese nodded his head as he spoke up, his voice and firm, "You're a cop. You've gotta find who did this. You find who did this and you bring them to me!" Rick nodded as he tried to step back, but Tyreese only stepped forward, breathing heavy, "I understand. I was there, you've seen me there-" "Karen didn't deserve this! David didn't deserve this! Nobody does!" Rick nodded as he tried to step back, "I agree," but Tyreese only followed. Daryl stepped forward and put a hand on Tyreese's shoulder, pulling him back gently, "C'mon man, ca-" Before anyone could stop him, Tyreese pressed him against the wall, holding him up by the collar of his shirt. Rick quickly stepped forward, but Daryl stopped him, holding out his arms, giving him a nod as he panted. Rick stepped back warily as Daryl spoke up, looking Tyreese in the eyes, making sure the man understood and knew his every word was true, "We're on the same side, man. Ya don't know what yer doin'." Tyreese slammed him against the wall and Daryl had to bite on his tongue to keep the grunt in. Rick took a deep breath before he spoke up, keeping his voice quiet, "Hey, we've all lost someone. We have. We understand, but you need to stop-" Then Tyreese turned around and pushed Rick back harshly, causing him to stumble on his feet. Rick held his hands out as he took deep breaths, "She wouldn't want to see you like this-" A fist collided with his face before he could even finish, causing Carol to scream. Daryl tried to put a hand on Tyreese shoulder to pull him back, which only got him a fist in the nose, causing him to stumble back as his eyes watered from the force of the punch. Tyreese pushed Carol away from Rick and hit him again, not only splitting his eyebrow, but also his lip. Daryl hooked his arms around Tyreese's and pulled him away from Rick, "Calm down, man! Knock it the fuck off!" Tyreese's chest heaved as he trashed against Daryl arms. Finally, he gave up. However, then Rick got up and his fist collided with Tyreese's jaw, knocking the man away from Daryl. He started hitting him, swinging his fist over and over, ignoring Daryl's pleas, "Rick! Rick!" He quickly leaped forward and wrapped his arms around Rick while the man looked over his shoulder, "Get off me!" Daryl finally managed to get Rick off Tyreese and Rick glared at Daryl for a second before a look of realization took over his features. Tyreese laid on the ground as he turned to his side, crying quietly. Rick walked away. 

Carol and Daryl headed inside after Tyreese said he wants to be alone, he said he's going to bury the bodies. As they passed the library Michonne whistled, catching their attention. Michonne leaned her forearm against the door frame, "We're having a meeting. I was just about to go look for you." They both nodded but didn't move a muscle. Michonne rolled her eyes as she stepped away, "I was already in a room with Glenn and Hershel. Count me in." Daryl shrugged as he walked past her, "Don't want ya ta get sick is all..." Michonne's expression softened and Daryl shrugged again. He moved to sit down, turning the chair over so he could lean forward on the backrest while Carol sat next to him. Michonne leaned against the bookshelf as Hershel who was already there with Glenn gave them a nod, "Now that we're here, we need to think of something. Everyone who was in "D" got sick, Evan, Sasha... Caleb. Merle's the only one holding the front, for now, it's a good thing I taught him how to do some things, he's been in great assistance to Doctor S." "He's gonna get sick too if he stays there." Hershel shot Glenn a look as he nodded, "Which is why we have this meeting. It's not the flu that kills you, it's the symptoms. We need antibiotics to treat them." Carol shrugged as she cleaned her elbows on the table, "Every place close to us has been raided already." Hershel shook his head, "The veterinarian college is our only shot. The drugs for the animals are going to work the same way for us." Daryl nodded as he gnawed on his bottom lip, "Fifty miles of walkers... Wasn't worth the trouble, but we need the meds." He nodded as he pushed himself from the chair, standing up, "Alright. I'mma take a group and we're gonna head out." Michonne stepped up, catching Daryl's attention as she nodded her head, "I'm going too." Hershel got to his feet as he faced the woman, "You haven't been exposed. Daryl has." Michonne grinned as she put her hands on her hips, "Him and the Dixon's have already given me fleas." Hershel chuckled as he caved in, nodding his head, "I will draw you a map." After a few last words are exchanged, Michonne and Daryl headed outside, Carol following. Daryl turned to Carol, keeping his voice low, "Can you stop by block "A"? Check on Merle?" Carol nodded and Daryl returned the gesture, grateful. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before he caught up to Michonne. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a fucked up state 'cause I haven't slept properly in days, but there ya go.


	39. Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle's not that big of an ass. He's actually a nice guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all don't like Merle, unfortunately this chapter can't be skipped as it takes places BOTH before everything happened and AFTER Evan got sick. It's still a filler and it's going to be similar to the next chapter, so y'all can skip, I guess. You decide.

**season four**

Merle had always been complicated.

He was, something else. People often didn't understand him, knew to judge him before they even tried, because Merle wanted them to do so. He scared people away with loud, angry slurs and hard fists because that was the way he was taught.

He remembered how he was back when he was on his own. The memories of a six-year-old Merle cuddled in the corner of the room, covering his head with his hands as he tried to shield himself from the glass shards of the beer bottle that, unfortunately was way too warm for his father's liking were fresh in his mind. Previous to getting the bottle thrown at him, he had received a punch square in the nose and a kick to his ribs, his mother was already passed out drunk in the bedroom on the furthest part of the run-down house in the bad neighborhood so there was no way she could come to his rescue. That was the first time when Will Dixon laid a hand on one of his kids, hell, his only one at the time. The belt and cigarette burns came later.

The memory of a nine year old Merle, woken up by his mother's cries was burned into his mind as well. He remembered getting up from the old, leather love seat his father picked up from the side of the road because they couldn't afford a bed for the boy, and following the sound of his mother crying. He walked up to where his mother sat on the armchair she used to sit on all the time, her cheap mascara was running down her high cheekbones and her blonde hair was in a messy bun on top of her head. A cigarette, Virginia Slims was the brand she used to smoke, dangled from her lips as she held a white, weird stick in her hand. She was clutching the stick in her palm as if her life depended on it. Will was in Texas, away to reunite with his brother after Jess got back from the army. Merle remembered how pathetic her voice sounded when she spoke up, gently running her fingers through his short, blonde hair that was cut in a buzz-cut, "My dear, I have to tell you something. Your father is supposed to be the first to know, but he's not here, so you will be the one, okay?" Merle was terrified, not knowing what could be so important and why his mother spoke as if it was something top-secretive, something that could ruin their lives. Then his mother opened her palm and Merle saw the two lines. 

His mother started crying harder when Merle took the pregnancy test and looked at it as if it was something from another planet, "I can't believe I'm bringing a live, making them live in this mess, in this hell-" Merle cut her off by giving her a hug. The first hug he gave her since he was four years old. His mother usually wasn't much into affection, his father wasn't even one to think about when affection was mentioned so Merle was raised to be like a feral animal, stranger to love and affection. That was why his mother started crying even harder than she was as she hugged him tightly. Merle didn't love his mom, neither did he love his dad, he knew what that feeling was supposed to be, or at least he had an idea as he was at the age of nine, but then again, he never was shown love, he wasn't taught to it, so how could he know it?

At the age of ten, he met Daryl and Evangeline. First, he got to hold his baby sister, as they were some minor complications with pulling out the second child, so the doctors wanted to run some tests. The baby was utterly disgusting and nothing like Merle imagined. What was the fuss about the entire thing anyway? The baby was small, fragile, barely the healthy weight. Her small hand, barely bigger than Merle's thumb peeked out from the blanket she was wrapped in. Her non-existent eyebrows were furrowed as she cooed, reaching out her hand towards Merle. The boy allowed Evangeline, or as he already called her in his head, Evan, to reach out and touch his nose. Merle's eyes widened as he studied the face of the small bundle of limbs that babbled, the baby had a beauty mark on the right side of her upper lip. Merle was slightly terrified, wondering if it would become any smaller than it was. He hoped it did.

Then he held Daryl. Merle was almost one hundred percent sure he held the exact same baby as just a few minutes ago. The only difference was that the baby boy was sound asleep, not giving a damn about the boy who held him. Merle again wondered what was the entire fuss over babies. He actually felt genuinely upset because his mother was so irresponsible. How could she do that do not one, but two innocent lives? Daryl and Evan didn't even know what they were getting themselves into and he felt sorry about them. He just hoped and prayed that for whatever reason, their father would go easier on the younger Dixon's. He already knew he was being naive. 

And as Merle sat on the bed, cradling Evan's head in his lap after he had spoken to Carol who informed him that both his girlfriend and brother were out there, looking for medicine, he stroked his fingers through Evan's soft, blonde locks, blaming himself for putting the only people he loved through hell. He looked down at Evan's furrowed eyebrows as she breathed, hard and heavy and his eyes traveled from her beauty mark that did not get any smaller with years to the blonde locks and he couldn't help but see their mother. He remembered coming home from uncle Jess' house a week after their house burned down with his mother in it. After roughly checking on Evangeline, who preferred to be called Evan, and Daryl, Merle met up with an old friend from school in the park like promised to receive a stash of crystal. He didn't cry, not then, he thought that maybe the first time he cried about his mother's death was a few weeks ago when he told Michonne and oh God, does he miss both Michonne and his mother. He never thought he would be as close as he was with Michonne, let alone start a relationship with her after trying to kill her _twice_. If he had to be honest, Michonne was his first relationship where he wasn't just looking for a hole to fill. 

Merle was surprised with how good of a man he became. He owed it to his siblings for giving him a second chance. He owed it to Hershel for helping him quit the drinking. He owed the entire group as they all had given him a second chance. He owed the Grimes' a big time, as Rick taught him how to be a better man in general, along with his kids. As he was in the isolation block, he couldn't hep but wonder how Carl and Lil' Ass-kicker are doing. He missed the kids, missed hanging out with Carl who eagerly listened to the stories he told him from his days as a Marine which both Evan and Daryl, maybe even Rick found annoying from how often they had to listen to them. Carl found them really interesting and it was weird that the boy took such a liking to him. He had liked the eldest Dixon since they were back in the Atlanta camp, at least when he was able to talk to the Dixon's back then without his mother watching over him like a hawk. The boy would ask him about the Triumph chopper his siblings now rode and if he hadn't lost a limb, he would have given the boy a ride now that his father trusted him. He hated the fact that he wouldn't be able to give Judy a ride when she grew up too, but he is fine enough with being her babysitter and guardian angel. Literally. Evan ended up bringing a baby sling back from a run and Rick was amused by the fact that the eldest Dixon wore it more often than he, himself, did, but hey, Merle would do anything for Judy and Carl. He loved the kids like his own, that gave him the idea of maybe asking Michonne to, well, he wasn't sure he would bring the topic of kids after what happened with Lori. He hated that bitch with a passion, but he felt bad for the Grimes' sake.

Merle realized that his siblings were right in the end. Back in the beginning, Merle wanted to rob the camp and leave the others behind, good riddance. He chuckled as he looked down at Evan's fever-flushed face and he shook his head, he was glad the things happened the way they did. His family was a lot bigger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we just talk about the fact that we're already at chapter 39? Holy shit!   
> SPOILER ALERT< The book is supposed to end after season eight so like, we have at least fifty more chapters. I hope y'all like it enough to stick for that long.


	40. I Can Save Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hershel helps Merle as they take care of the sick...

season four

Merle sighed as he threw his hands in the air, "What the hell is up with y'all, this ain't some freaking hostel!" 

Hershel gave him a warm smile as he pulled down the bandana covering his nose and mouth, "I was hoping you would be happier to see me." He filled a cup with a ladle from the pot he had on a cart and he mentioned for Merle to take it, "How is everyone holding up?" The eldest Dixon looked at the cup of tea in his hand as he sighed, "Doctor S is way too sick ta even do anything. So far only I'm holding the front. Lizzie, Ryan's girl is gettin' worse, Evan is stable for now, Glenn isn't... He ain't doing too good either. Sasha's been holding the front well, she's of huge help." He brought the cup to his mouth and took a generous sip, enjoying the warm liquid as it slid down his throat. Hershel was filling up more cups, preparing them for the other patients. Merle looked at the older man as he scratched the few days old stubble on his cheek, "Do ya have any idea when my baby brother is supposed ta come?" Hershel sighed as he shook his head, "Not in the slightest. Maybe twelve hours, longer if there are any complications." He nodded his head as he grabbed the tray full of cups, "I'm going to hand these out, if you want a refill, help yourself. Bring a cup to your sister." 

Merle downed the rest of the tea before he washed the cup quickly and put it away. He grabbed a fresh one from under the cart and filled it to the brim with hot tea, the task a little bit difficult with the lack of his hand. Then he made his way to Evan's cell, which happened to be right next to Glenn's, "Wake up, sleeping beauty." His sister grunted as she leaned on her elbows, trying to straighten up, "Was that Hershel? Is he sick too?" Merle shook his head as he handed his sister the cup, "Nah, old motherfucker wants ta help, as always. Daryl's out on a run for meds, should be back soon." Evan took a sip from the tea as she winced slightly, the tea most likely too hot for her sore throat. 

Merle walked around the cells, making sure people locked themselves up for the night while Hershel did the same to the ground level. All of a sudden, one of the infected stumbled towards Hershel, dropping to the ground. The sound of the man choking on his own blood echoed off the walls, along with Merle's boots hitting the ground as he ran down the stairs. When he reached the scene, the man laid at Hershel's feet, blood dripping from his wide eyes. Hershel reached over and closed them while Merle looked around, realizing the patients had walked out of their cells. Hershel seemed devastated and helpless as he looked around. Merle put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled loudly before he made a circling motion with his finger, "Everyone inside the cells, right now! Come on y'all!" He shot Sasha a glance as she pushed a stretcher closer to Hershel. Merle helped Hershel and Sasha lift the body to the stretcher before he addressed Sasha, "Thanks for helping, darlin'. Go rest, can you get to the cell?" Once Sasha nodded, Merle nodded back and followed Hershel to the visiting room.

Hershel covered the man's face with the white sheet before he drove the knife into his skull. Merle sighed as he ran his hand over his face before he heard it, "Merle? Hershel?" Both men looked to the window on the far wall and Merle felt relief wash over him when he saw Rick, a quiet chuckle left his mouth as he stepped closer, "Well damn me, but am I happy to see ya, Officer Friendly." Rick's eyes traveled to the body that laid on the stretcher. Merle rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed, "That's the third one. We're puttin' 'em down away from the others. Don't want 'em to get their hopes too low." He turned to Hershel, "Can ya go and check if everyone's in their cells?" Hershel nodded and walked away, leaving Merle and Rick.

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose as Merle stepped closer, "I-I've gotta tell ya something. I don't know if I did the right thing, if I should have waited or not, but-" "Spit the rock out, Rick." Merle leaned his forearm against the window as he gave a somewhat reassuring nod. At least he hoped it was reassuring, he still sucked with comforting people. Rick's took a deep breath before he opened his eyes and cocked his head to the side, "Carol did it. Carol killed Karen and David." Merle sighed as he rubbed the top of his head, scratching the hair that had gotten slightly longer over time and was no longer in a buzz-cut, "Oh man... What did ya do?" Rick sighed as he put his hand on his hip, gesturing with his right hand as he spoke, "I let her loose. She, she told me, she came clean and I saw it, she didn't regret it. Not one bit. Then we... We went on a run, I told her so. We went on a run, got supplies, found a car for her, then I told her she's on her own." The eldest Dixon sighed as he shook his head, glancing at the ground for a second, "Daryl and Evan aren't gonna take that lightly." At the mention of Merle's sister, Rick's expression both softened and turned into one of worry. Merle gave him a nod, "She's alright, don't worry. Ain't doin' any better, but she's stable an' if ya ask, that's more than enough fer me." Rick nodded his head as he sighed, "That's good to hear, I guess... Daryl and Michonne went for medicine, shouldn't take that long. Hopefully y'all hold the front for that long." Merle nodded his head and didn't say anything for a while. Then, he made sure he was looking directly into Rick's eyes as he nodded firmly, "Ya did the right thing, Officer Friendly. Ya did good by lettin' 'er go. Don'tcha beat yerself up about it, alright?" Rick nodded back as he sighed. He gulped as he glanced at the ground before he nodded again and started walking away, "Hold on tight, Merle." They bid each other farewell and Merle started pushing the stretcher towards the yard where they burned the corpses. So sad they didn't get to do funerals anymore. 

When he walked back inside, at least three walkers looked at him, snarling and ready to snap. Merle cursed under his breath as he quickly attached the blade to his prosthesis, just in time to swing it at a walker that lunged itself at him. He kicked the corpse away before he drove the knife into the skull of another, "Evan! Do ya have yer crossbow?" There was a gunshot before Evan replied, "Nah, but you left your gun here!" Merle screamed as he pushed a walker against the wall, rising his voice over the sound of the gunshots, "Hershel, where the hell are ya?" "Merle, take this! It's loaded!" Merle looked up after he kicked a walker away and caught the gun thrown at him with a bit of difficulty. He started firing alongside his sister who was shooting from her cell. Merle cleared out a path for himself to run upstairs and he cursed when he saw the state Glenn was in. He turned Glenn so the man was on his side and he looked around frantically, "Hershel, where's the freakin' aspirator, man?" "Working on it!" Merle closed the cell door, making sure if they were any walkers nobody would get to him. He already knew Sasha's cell door was closed, same with his sister's, so he quickly made his way to where Hershel was laying on the wired net, fighting a walker. Maggie was standing underneath, aiming her gun at the walker. She looked at Merle as she shouted, "Do something, I can't shoot from here! There are no walkers left, he's the only one!" Merle nodded as he cursed under his breath, if he fired, the aspirator would be useless. 

Merle got on his knees and reached out his prosthesis, "Hershel, try ta bring 'im closer, brother! I've got ya!" Hershel did as told, trying to lure the walker closer to Merle. Once he was close enough, Merle grunted as he drove his blade through the skull of the walker. The monster stopped fighting and Hershel breathed heavily as he took the aspirator off the walker, who turned out to be Henry. With Merle's help, Hershel was able to get over the railing and on the second storey. Maggie was already by Glenn's side and Hershel quickly joined her. Merle decided they didn't need his help, so he decided to look around and investigate the damage.

Merle frowned when he saw his sister out of her cell, dragging a body, "You need ta stay in bed." Evan scoffed as she dropped the legs of the body once she was able to drag it to the exit that led to the courtyard before she coughed into her flexed elbow, causing Merle to raise his eyebrows at her, "Before ya can even say you're alright, ya go and show me yer not." Evan sniffled as she shrugged before she made her way to another body, "Whatever. Go check on the others." Merle ran his hand over his face before he did as told. A lot of people had died in such a short amount of time and it didn't take him that long to check the others. The ones who were still alive were in their cells and safe. Once he checked on everyone, Merle joined his sister at dragging away the bodies.

Both Dixon's were surprised to see Tyreese and Bob run through the door, carrying bags with medicine. Tyreese made his way to where Merle and Evan stood before he asked about his sister. Once Evan told him which cell she was in, he ran off. Merle turned to Evan and gripped her shoulder, "They're back. You should rest. I'm going to bring you the medicine in a second, alright?" Evan sighed as she shrugged, "'M way too tired to argue so whatever." She closed her eyes with a small smile on her face when Merle leaned in and kissed her forehead. She turned around and walked towards her cell while Merle went to Bob. After receiving the instructions, he started helping both Hershel and Bob with the medicine. Once everyone was given their dose of medication and Bob decided when they were going to receive their next dose, Merle walked over to where Hershel was still crouching beside Glenn, squeezing the aspirator in a steady rhythm. Maggie and Merle shared a look before Maggie put a hand on Hershel's shoulder, "Daddy, I have it from here. You should go rest." She glanced back at Merle who nodded as he outstretched his hand, "Come on, brother. We've all earned our rest." Hershel sighed before he nodded and let Maggie grip the aspirator. Merle helped him to his feet and led him away to the cell Hershel stayed in.

Hershel made his way to the bed and sat down on it. He took a deep breath before he spoke up, not looking up from the floor, "Can you go get my bible? It's on Caleb's bed." Merle nodded and went to get the bible. He already knew about Doctor S's death, as he, himself, had to drag his body to the pile that was going to be burned first thing next morning. Once he had the bible in his hand, Merle made his way back to Hershel's cell, slowing down his steps when he heard the heartbroken sobs. He frowned as he finally stood in the entrance of the cell and saw Hershel crying, his shoulders shook with the force of his sobs, his face was hidden by his hands. The eldest Dixon sighed as he sat down on the bed and rubbed Hershel's back, letting the man grief over the death of their mutual friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are going to haaaaaaate me when you read the next chapter. Like, I want to apologize in advance so here it is, I'm sincerely sorry.


	41. This Means War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Philip pays a visit to our beloved survivalists...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clears throat nervously* What's up, y'all? Ya still there?   
> Sorry for the lack of updates lately! I have started writing something new, which officially means that I'm writing four books at the same time. Jeez, that's a lot.   
> Actually, I have been thinking of maybe finding myself a Beta? As much as I enjoy doing everything on my own, I think it would be cool to also have someone to help. We'll see.   
> Now, about the chapter... I just wanna say, I'm sorry in advance. I genuinely love the way it turned out, but it was a pain in the ass to edit, so I apologize for any mistakes. The entire book so far is going to be edited soon, as a whole.  
> Okay, enough talking... Let's get on with the chapter!

season four 

  


"What the hell are you doing here?"

  


Daryl chuckled as he leaned Evan's crossbow against the wall, then dropped the backpack he was carrying, "Damn, thought ya'd be happier ta see me." "I ain't happy ta see ya here either." Daryl sighed as Merle got up from his seat beside Evan on the hard mattress of the prison bed, "Did ya talk ta Rick yet?" Daryl sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Was 'bout ta, then I realized Evan forgot 'er crossbow. 'S it bad or somethin'? Hershel told me ta talk to 'im too. Must be important." The older Dixon's shared a look before Evan looked at her twin, "Maybe it's better if you just go on and talk to him." Daryl sighed before he nodded his head, "Alright." He went to leave but Evan whistled, which made him stop and turn around. She threw their vest at him with a small smile on her face, "It's your time to wear it." Daryl slid his arms through the holes of the vest before he nodded with a smile, identical to his sister's. He walked away, leaving Merle and Evan in the cell. Hershel and Merle decided to move her to another cell, one on the main floor.

  


Merle left to go catch up with Michonne later, he wanted to make sure she was okay after their run. He still had to keep his distance though, but just a simple five minute conversation wasn't going to do any bad. Evan assured him that she would be okay alone. She sat on the bed, her crossbow on her lap as she wiped away her precious weapon with a rag. She was still really sick which meant she couldn't leave the cell and it made her go crazy. At least her crossbow was going to keep her company.

  


Then a sudden explosion shook the ground and dust started to fall from the ceiling above her head. What the hell? 

  


-

  


Daryl wasn't happy to find out that his best friend, his soulmate, the person he learned to open up to without questions asked was gone. Rick was a good leader. Daryl wanted to punish whoever killed Karen and David, the fact that Carol did that shouldn't change the fact, but it did. But Rick did the right thing, and no matter how angry he was with his friend at the moment, he knew that Rick was right and he did what had to be done. He was right to ask the question he asked Daryl who paced in front of the ex sheriff's deputy, "What if she had done this to Evan?" Daryl's eyebrows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes and set his thin lips in a grim line. Rick stepped forward as he cocked his head to the side, making sure that his right-hand man understood exactly what he said, "She could have easily killed Evan if Merle wasn't by her side form the second she got sick. She told me so. Looked me in the eyes and said that if Evan was one of the first cases, she would have done it. Daryl, Carol thought she did the right thing. She wasn't sorry." Daryl leaned his elbows on the railing and leaned his forehead on his fists. He had to take deep breaths. He was, devastated. Torn apart, in two. He sighed as he lifted his head to look at Rick and shake his head, "Ya should have waited for me. Ta come back." Rick shook his head as he put his hands on his hips, "What? And wait for Tyreese to come back? On her own, she has a chance, she's gonna make it... Tyreese-" "Let's go tell 'im. I'm gonna do it." Before Rick could object, Daryl was already walking down the steps. Rick pinched the bridge of his nose before he followed suit.

  


They found Tyreese. Daryl started to slow down his steps when he saw what the man was looking at. He was in the tombs, staring at the floor. Leaned against the wall was a board of some sort with a rabbit nailed to it. The carcass of the animal was cut open and parts of its insides were missing, some just had a different placement. It made Daryl's stomach turn. Who on Earth would do such things?

  


Just as Tyreese turned to the men and opened his mouth to speak, an explosion shook the ground. The three men shared a look before they quickly ran out of the tombs.

  


-

  


The Governor, along with heavily-packed military wannabes stood right outside the fence. Philip stood on top of a tank, clearly the leader of his new group. On their knees a few feet away from the tank were Michonne and Hershel. Merle's blood ran cold before it started to boil as if he was in the depths of Hell. Philip was going to pay for this.

  


Daryl, Rick and Tyreese joined the others. Maggie was shaking and Beth was close to breaking down. It was a good thing he was enraged, because if he had to admit, Merle was close to breaking down in tears, himself. Both the love of his life and the man he learned to see as a father were threatened to face an agonizing death by the hands of the man that betrayed him and made him fight to death with his own true blood brother. Merle saw _red_.

  


Philip completely ignored his once right-hand man as he addressed their old leader, "Rick! Come over here! We need to talk." Rick's chest heaved up and down as he ran his fingers through his hair. He shouted back so the Governor could hear him over the distance, "I'm not in charge anymore! I'm not the leader! There's a council!" Philip smiled as he gestured towards the two hostages he had kneeling in front of him, "Is Michonne on the council? Is Hershel on the council?" Rick glanced towards Merle as the man growled. Rick put a hand on Merle's shoulder as he pushed him back, standing protectively in front of the entire group. The vein in his neck popped as he replied, "I don't make decisions anymore!" Philip shrugged as he stepped forward on the tank, "You make the decisions today, Rick. You have no choice. Come over. Let's have that talk." 

  


"I can go." Daryl shook his head as he gripped his brother's biceps, "Ya stupid or yes? The second ya step a foot into the courtyard, yer gonna have bullets raining at ya." Rick nodded his head as he stepped forward and gripped Merle's shoulder, "I'm going. Everything's alright. I will figure something out, alright?" Merle breathed heavily as he searched Rick's eyes. There wasn't a single trace of the past hatred and disgust that was there when they first met. No, he saw loyalty, even brotherly love. Merle nodded and Rick nodded back. Daryl followed Rick, opening the gate for him. He patted his friend's back before the man started walking down the path. The youngest Dixon closed the gate before he slowly made his way back to the group.

  


The Dixon's looked at each other and nodded. Merle slowly stalked over to the gun baskets and started pulling out automatics, rifles and ammo while his brother told Tyreese and Sasha the plan. They made sure everyone had a gun in hand and enough ammo before they took their place at the inner fence. Daryl stood close to Carl, Merle on the other side of the boy. Carl was gripping his rifle tightly as he made sure his aim was correct, "That's stupid... I've gotta do something." Daryl shook his head as he fixed his grip on the automatic, "Nah, your dad got it." Carl shook his head as his finger hovered over the trigger, "I could take down the Governor from here." Merle shook his head as he glanced at the boy he saw as his own, "From fifty yards? Yer a good shot son, but it ain't gonna end things. Might start somethin' else. Ya hafta trust yer old man on this." Carl sighed as he took his finger off the trigger, but still kept it at the ready.

  


From what they could see, Philip wasn't happy with where the conversation was going. He jumped from the tank and grabbed Michonne's katana. He stood by Hershel and grabbed the man by the hair, then put the katana close to his throat. Daryl pulled his head back up, his eyes wide in shock as Merle gasped. Rick was still talking. He wasn't giving up. And for a second it looked like it was working. Hershel was smiling, the Governor pulled back the sword. Then he said one word and -

  


Maggie screamed. 

  


Merle didn't wait to press the trigger and start firing at the Governor and his men. Tears rolled down his cheeks as his brother and the others joined him, bullets started to rain down. Rick tried to retreat but they grazed him in the thigh. He screamed out as he hid behind a turned over vehicle that was in the courtyard and gripped his leg. Daryl grunted and it seemed as if the bullets started leaving the automatic faster than before, mirroring the rage he felt. Michonne was able to escape behind some of the trucks and Hershel made an attempt to crawl away. The Governor got to him. Merle screamed from the top of his lungs as he watched Philip chop off Hershel's head completely. Maggie and Beth's cries burned in his mind like hot metal on skin and he saw red. 

  


Philip had started a war.

  


Daryl turned to his brother as he reloaded and shouted over the chaos, "Go inside, get the people out, get Evan out and get the hell outta 'ere!" Merle cursed his breath as he heard the click he dreaded, he ran out of ammo. He reloaded quickly as he looked at his brother and the youngest Dixon saw fear in his older brother's eyes for the first time in his life, "Ain't gonna leave ya, baby brother!" Daryl turned to face Merle properly as he put a hand on his shoulder, "Ya've gotta do this, Merle, these fuckers started the tank and they gonna be comin through any time now, the buildin' collapses and Evan's dead! Ya have ta do this, alright? Get Evan and get the hell outta here, through the woods, 'right?" Merle cursed under his breath as his brother started looking for a way to change his position. He grabbed Daryl's arm and turned him so they were facing each other. He pressed their foreheads together as he looked his baby brother in the eyes, "Love ya, brother. Need ya ta know that." Daryl nodded as he gripped the back of Merle's neck, "Ya too." They pulled back and Daryl shouted over the noise, "Go, now, 'm covering ya!" Merle nodded and did as told.

  


Evan was halfway out of her cell by the time Merle reached the cell block. Another explosion shook the ground, followed by another one. Merle quickly grabbed his sister by the hand and pulled her back the way they came, "C'mon! Ain't no way to go the way I came through!" Evan coughed violently as they entered her cell again, "Merle, what the hell is goin' on?!" "'s the Governor, that fucker killed Hershel! We've gotta leave, now!" "What?! No!" Merle threw the backpack Daryl brought in earlier that same day over his shoulder before he threw Evan's crossbow at her and the woman took it in her hands. Merle reached under the bed and pulled out a shotgun, handing it to Evan as well, "We can't stay, they's got a tank, ain't nothin' we can do!" Evan shook her hand as her brother urged her to run out of the cell and follow him down to the tombs. The blonde reluctantly did as told as she screamed helplessly, "What about Rick, Daryl?! Michonne?!" Merle threw her a glance over his shoulder before he screamed back, "Officer Friendly, our baby brother and da love of my life are the strongest people I know, alright?! Right along with ya, so get yer shit together and pick up yer fucking pace! I woulda held your hand, but I've got one and I need it!" 

  


They reached the tombs and Merle led Evan down some dark corridors Evan had never seen before. There was a huge, rusty metal door and Merle pried it open with his blade. He ushered Evan to pass through before he closed it and urged her to pick up her pace. Evan had no idea that the prison had tunnels for evacuation and she didn't know why or how her brother knew about them. She could care less at that moment though. Instead, she ran for her life. 

  


-

  


Never in his life had Daryl thought that he would use a walker as a shield against bullets. The walker was like a fish on a hook hanging from his bolt. The men quickly realized that he was alive and started firing at him. He was quick to fish into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a grenade. After he undid the clip with his teeth, he threw it towards the men. They tried to duck, but they weren't fast enough. Once there was no alive threat, Daryl dropped the body and raised his automatic, firing away, hitting on meat so he could at least slow down the walkers. There wasn't time for perfect head shots. Once he was able to clear out a path to the tank, he pulled out the other grenade he had and jumped up as high as he could. He threw the grenade in the muzzle. He landed perfectly on his feet and a feel of satisfaction almost overtook his rage as he heard the explosive roll down the barrel and the man inside scream out in panic. The bastard was able to jump out in time, but he didn't know that Daryl was waiting for him. Before the military wannabe could realize what was going to happen, as he was freaked out by the explosion that happened behind him, Daryl took his crossbow off his shoulder as he chucked away the empty rifle. He took aim while the man's eyes widened. With a grunt and zero hesitation, Daryl pulled the trigger and the arrow pierced the man's chest, straight in the heart. He fell to the ground and Daryl couldn't help himself as he spit on top of the dying body.

  


"Daryl!"

  


Daryl quickly turned around. Beth's breath was labored as she came to a halt in front of him, "I-I went to get the kids, but they were gone! The bus, it's gone too!" Daryl's expression turned mournful as he shook his head slowly, "We gotta go, Beth... We gotta go..." The blonde looked into his eyes as she took a few steps. After he made sure the girl was following, in his sight and in his reach, Daryl took off running with one thought in mind.

  


_Let my family be okay._

  


  


  



	42. Short-handed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle and Evan come across Aaron and Eric...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to say goodbye to Evan and Merle for a while!   
> Also, happy birthday to Michael Rooker!

**season four**

Merle was starting to realize why people were born with two hands and he started to regret cutting off his limp.

Him and Evan were still running. Evan had an arm wrapped around Merle's neck as she tried to keep up, breaking into aggressive coughing fits and stumbling on her own two feet. Merle held the still, somewhat loaded automatic in his hand, Evan was gripping her shotgun tightly, her precious crossbow on her back. There were walkers all around them, as they were heading in the direction the two Dixon's were coming from. Evan stumbled over a branch and fell to her knees, almost bringing Merle down with her. Her older brother helped her to her feet as he grunted, then the two started running away. Merle raised the automatic and fired, killing two walkers that were in their way. Evan grunted in pain as she started slowing down, "Merle, Merle, go on." "Don't be ridiculous, baby sister! Ain't no way 'm gonna leave ya behind!" "Merle, I'm slowing you down!" Merle shook his head as he made sure his sister kept up despite her words of protest. He remembered the way to their own man's trailer. Senoia was just a few miles away, west from the prison, if they didn't stop running they could reach the trailer in a day, maybe a day and a half. 

They ran for an hour, maybe two. Merle really started to miss his hand. They came across a herd in the woods and had no other choice but go down the road in an attempt to get away from the walkers. Evan was starting to get worse and worse, her coughing fits worse then the previous ones. The sun was starting to set and they either had to run with all they had so the walkers can't reach them or they had to find shelter. Merle missed his chopper, his hand and his brother. 

He frowned when he saw an RV. He had seen RV's before, so that wasn't new. What was, was the fact that the vehicle was moving and it seemed to be driving in their direction. Merle cursed under his breath as he pushed his sister off the road and towards the woods, "Go, go, go, go!" Evan collapsed on her knees behind the bushes and Merle cursed again before he joined her. They couldn't run through the woods, they were filled with walkers and the sun was starting to set. Only option was to wait for whoever these douchebags were and go on their way. However, luck didn't seem to be on Merle's side as the RV started to slow down. The driver parked the vehicle on the side of the road, close to where Merle and Evan were hiding. Evan was slipping in and out of consciousness as she rested her forehead against the bark of a tree and tried to stop coughing and regain her breathing. Merle rubbed her back as he kept the rifle close.

A man with brown, curly hair climbed out of the RV and closed the door behind him. Another man sat behind the wheel, Merle couldn't really see him that well. Merle's hard, blue eyes were trained on the man who looked through the trees. The eldest Dixon cursed under his breath and quickly changed his position behind the bushes and the tree, hoping that the man would simply mistake him for a walker or an animal or something and leave them alone. Again, he didn't have luck. The brown-haired man raised his hands in the air as he squinted, trying to spot the Dixon's again, "Hey! You there! I'm not going to hurt you!" Merle reached out to take his automatic as he glanced at Evan worriedly, her lungs were wheezing. He turned his attention back to the man as he screamed back, "Tell Philip to fuck 'imself in da fuckin' ass, I ain't goin' anywhere!" The stranger raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer cautiously, "I would, if I knew him! Look, my name is Aaron! My partner Eric is in the RV! We saw that you're armed, we have a gun in the RV and that's it, so please don't shoot and hear me out!" In that moment, Evan had another coughing fit, causing her to lean forward. Merle rubbed her back as he kept glancing from his sister and back to the man. He spoke up again, "We have a community! Medication! Doctors! Hell, we have hot water and showers! She is sick, really sick! She won't make it! Our community, Alexandria is a safe place! My partner and I recruit people, this is what we were doing out here! You should come with us, we're going to be there in the morning! Please, for your friend's sake, come with us! You can check for any guns, I can even show you pictures of the place!" Merle's eyes darted back and forth, from his sister and then to the guy. He seemed weak. If he tried anything, Merle would be able to stop him. He replied, "Come help me lift 'er up! 'M kinda," he glanced at the blade attached to his prosthesis, "short-handed." The stranger nodded and started slowly making his way to the two, his hands still raised in the air.

The Aaron guy's eyes widened at the sight of Merle's right hand. Merle lifted his hand as if to show it off and he nodded slowly, his blue eyes trained on the man and his voice like steel, "You make one move ta me or ma sister n' ya gonna see it up close. Same fer ya partner. Understood?" Aaron slowly lowered his hands with a nod. Merle nodded back in satisfaction before he took the automatic and the rifle. Aaron grabbed Evan's hand and slung her arm over his shoulders. He lifted her to her feet and scoped her up in his arms' bridal style, low-key surprising Merle. He was stronger than he seemed. With that, the stranger started leading them to the RV. Eric, who Aaron had called his partner, opened the door for the three and they climbed into the RV. Aaron started walking to the back while Merle eyed Eric up and down suspiciously. The guy looked like a human version of a mouse. He gave an awkward smile to the Dixon and the older man couldn't help but squint suspiciously. He nodded his head, "Thank ya." Eric nodded back before he sat back down in the driver's seat and started the RV. Once Aaron walked back to the front, Merle walked to the back where his sister laid on the bed in the RV. Merle put down the guns, along with the backpack and took the blade off his prosthesis. Then, he sat down on the floor with his back against the bed Evan laid on and closed his eyes. 

-

"Evan will have to be under isolation while we treat whatever virus she has-" "Good luck with trayna pry me off her." 

Eric pinched the bridge of his nose and Merle grunted as he shifted, lifting his foot to put it against the wall. They stood in front of the infirmary where a man called Peter, or maybe it was Pete, was checking on Evan. Merle didn't like the fact that he wasn't allowed to go inside one bit. He stood with his back to the side of the house and arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the ginger. The man sighed before he looked at the stubborn Dixon, "Alright, Aaron is gonna come back soon with Deanna-" "Who's Deanna?" Eric sighed, again, before he elaborated, "She's the person who runs this place, along with her husband, Reg. Reg built these walls." Merle nodded. They stood in awkward silence for way too long.

Finally, Eric breathed out in relief when Aaron and Deanna started heading their way. Merle raised an eyebrow. Sure, he wasn't a sunshine to be around, but that didn't mean the guy had to be an asshole. Eric reminded him of Lori, actually. Damn, he couldn't believe he actually missed that bitch. He was shaken away from his thoughts when Deanna halted in front of her, her right hand extended in a friendly manner as a confident smile curled on her lips, "Hello, welcome to Alexandria. I'm Deanna Monroe." Merle raised his hand, showing his prosthesis. Deanna chuckled, that woman had some balls it seemed, before she switched hands. Merle took her left hand in his own and shook it, "Merle Dixon." Deanna nodded as she pulled her hand back and put them behind her back, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Merle. I assure you that your sister is in good hands. Pete is our doctor, he's a surgeon, a really good one too. Now, I would ask you to follow me." Merle raised his eyebrow as he glanced at Eric and Aaron. The two have him a nod. He sighed before he reluctantly followed the woman. 

Merle was sitting in an armchair in Deanna's living room, a _camera_ pointed at his face. He thought someone had put some type of drugs in his system or something. Deanna sat on a couch in front of him with a smile on her face, "Now, I'm going to record this, if you don't mind, Mister Dixon." Merle nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the armchair, crossing his legs. Deanna looked at his prosthesis, clearly intrigued, "How did you lose your hand, if you don't mind me asking?" Merle shrugged, "Chopped it off." "...Yourself?" "Yep." "...Why?" "The saw wasn't sharp enough for the handcuffs." Deanna seemed surprised as she leaned her elbows on her knees, clearly expecting Merle to elaborate. He sighed before he did, "Was with my old group, got stuck in Atlanta. Was causin' some trouble, so a guy handcuffed me to the rooftop. Kinda left me there by accident... I think. Had ta cut my arm or else the walkers were gonna chew me up." Deanna nodded her head as she hummed thoughtfully, "Interesting... Why were you causing trouble?" "I was high... Twas a long time ago, two months after da entire thing happened." "I see... Do you take any substances now?" Merle shook his head, "Nah, decided ta get clean. Figured with the way shit is now, I don' have much time with my family. Decided I should spend da rest of it sober with 'em." Deanna nodded as she got comfortable on her seat, "Where are they now? Was your family a part of the group?" Merle nodded his head slowly as his eyes got colder, "They's all my family. But I hada brother. Pete is currently workin' on ma sister. The rest of the group, they's my family too. Became family later." "Where are they now?" Merle shrugged as he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. He sighed before he shrugged again and looked at the wall, "One asshole came. Called 'imself, the Governor. Came with a freakin' tank, right up ta our gates. Killed my best friend right in fronta my eyes. Lots of people died. Ones that are alive, they's scattered all over the place. Have no idea where they are now." "I'm sorry to hear that..." "Me too..." Awkward silence filled the room. Merle sniffled. He wasn't about to cry in front of a stranger, no way. He had to get his shit together. 

"Thank ya for helpin' Evan... She wouldn'a survived without y'all." Deanna smiled as she nodded, "Of course. In times like these, we have to have each other's backs. It's either us or them." She paused as she stared at the ground, seemingly deep in thought. Then, she nodded determinedly before she met Dixon's eyes, "My husband Reg, he used to be a professor in architecture. Such a blessing in our crazy days, for he built these walls. He has people to help him make these walls even bigger and stronger. I'm one hundred percent sure that he would be more than happy to have you work for him. I will interview your sister when she's in a better condition, but after seeing the crossbow, I'm almost sure she's a hunter and we need more hunters. I will try to see what your permanent jobs will be, but for now, we will leave it at that." She smiled warmly, "I will have Eric and Aaron look for your group. You will have to give them as much information as possible. If they're out there, Eric and Aaron will find them." Merle nodded as he breathed out, "T-Thank ya, ma'am... But how am I supposed to trust ya 'nough to tell ya everythin' about my close ones?" Deanna chuckled as she rolled her eyes, "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now." She had a point...

Deanna got up and Merle followed. Extending her left hand, Deanna nodded, "Welcome to Alexandria, Merle Dixon." Merle looked down at the woman's hand. He looked up in her eyes and nodded back as he grabbed her hand and shook it firmly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I JUST WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING!  
> I don't know how many of y'all saw, but I published a new book called A Sky Full Of Stars. Even if it's published, it won't be updated until we've reached at least the middle of season five/six on this book. I hope y'all like it though! Go check out the first chapter please!   
> Also, new updates of Blood First are coming soon!


	43. Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Beth's journey. Daryl breaks down and Beth is there to hold him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3692 words in this one, jeez! I missed writing long as fuck chapters!   
> Also, I wanna thank you all for the love you left on A Sky Full Of Stars! The fact that this book was published a few months (I think?) ago and A Sky Full Of Stars got the exact same number of kudos as The Cherokee Rose for just one day, like, damn! It's, wow! Thank you so much! It means a lot.  
> Now, about the chapter, this one is heavy and also gets a bit of touchy. Please don't hate Daryl, thank you. Prepare some tissues! I also put a " * " so y'all know where it gets heavy, I hope y'all are okay with that and it's not triggering.   
> Now, let's go on with the chapter!  
> (before that, can we have a moment to appreciate Jon Bernthal on The Punisher? Damn! I might write something for him too, we'll see.)

**season four**

  


There were groans and snarls everywhere.

  


Beth pulled the trigger of her gun several times as the walker started to get closer and closer, but the same annoying click announced that she had run out of bullets. Daryl raised his crossbow and fired while Beth pulled out her knife. She stabbed two walkers in the head while Daryl got his arrow back. Once they shared a glance, Beth started running, Daryl right behind her, making sure he could see her at all times. Walkers were close behind them, snarling and limping after the sound of the living. Thankfully, they weren't fast enough.

  


Daryl grunted as he pushed Beth, his hand clamping against her shoulder, "To da fields, now!" She simply changed direction without hesitation, she knew Daryl knew the woods better than anyone. They reached the borderline of the woods, a wide field with tall grass and bushes stood in front of them for maybe a few miles. Daryl looked over his shoulder as they ran, the only sound to be heard was their labored breaths, their heavy footsteps and the very distant snarls of the monsters. Beth's feet collapsed beneath her and she rolled over, landing on her back, Daryl followed suit. They were completely hidden by the bushes, they were going to be okay. Daryl felt his pulse in the soles of his feet and his hair stuck to his forehead as he breathed heavily. He closed his eyes as he covered them with his forearm, shielding them from the late afternoon sun. Everything hurt, but he wasn't about to show weakness. He had to keep going.

  


Once he decided it was safe, he picked his crossbow up and got to his feet. The sun was almost completely out. Beth got up and brushed off her jeans before she followed Daryl who was already a few paces ahead of her. 

  


-

  


"I need a drink."  


  


That seemed an accurate coping mechanism after seeing your friends get eaten by walkers. Daryl, however, didn't reply, as he took it the literal way. Despite knowing what she meant, he reached over and grabbed the half full water bottle they had. He threw the bottle in her direction and Beth simply stared at it for a few moments before she shook her head, "No, I mean, a real drink. As in alcohol... I've never had one, because of my dad, but he's not exactly around anymore..." Daryl bit down on the snake a little more roughly than before, jerking his head to the side. Beth continued, "We should go find some." He, again, didn't respond. The blonde shrugged as she got up and took her knife, "Alright. Enjoy your snake then." With that, she left Daryl with his half-eaten snake and dark thoughts.

  


Beth could go fuck herself... But then again, Daryl had conscience. That girl, she wasn't going to survive on her own... Well, maybe she could, but he felt as if he had to keep her safe and alive now. He had already failed Rick, Merle, Evan, Carl, he failed all of them. Beth's life, in a sense, was in his hands. But then again, it seemed as if whoever he loved, whoever he decided to be close to, died. He was some sort of curse or a plague, he was a disease. No, he was a simple Dixon. He was sure his father was laughing in his grave. His young boy really did go on and think that he could be loved, that he had a family aside of the Dixon's. The thought nearly made Daryl, himself, chuckle. He was such a fool.

  


There wasn't time for self-hatred. Daryl sighed before he threw the remains of his snake away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He readjusted Evan's vest over his shoulders before he reached over and took the water bottle. After he took a few sips, he got to his feet with a sigh. It was time to rescue a teenage girl on a suicide mission for a drink. Daryl was pretty sure that every single blonde, aside of his sister was stupid. Just had it in their DNA or something.

  


Tracking down Beth was easy. She didn't know how to hide her tracks and Daryl was sure she didn't even think of it. She turned around abruptly, her eyes wide in surprise to see Daryl. The man didn't know who she expected to see. James Bond or one of these beautiful guys? Unfortunately she was stuck with the redneck trash. Daryl looked her up and down before he turned around and started walking away, Beth following close.

  


Beth groaned when she realized they were back in their hideout spot, "You brought me back here?! Fuck that, I ain't staying in this suckass camp!" She lifted her hand and Daryl's eyes widened slightly when he got the middle finger salute, "Hey!" He grabbed her forearm and turned her back around to face him when she started walking away. "Ya had yer fun!" "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Daryl lifted his chin up as he felt the chip on his shoulder he fought so hard to remove come back. The young girl continued, "Do you even feel anything?! You feel like everything is screwed, that's a feeling, I guess. So you wanna spend the rest of our lives staring into a fire and eating mud snakes? Screw that! We might as well do something! You do what you want to do, but I will find myself a damn drink!" With that, she walked away, again. Daryl ran his hand over his face as he breathed out. After he cursed under his breath, he started following the teenage brat.

  


They came across a country club. There weren't too many walkers... Well, alive walkers. Corpses of rotters, along with people who hung themselves were all over the place. The sight wasn't pleasant. Beth didn't seem to care as she started looking around for a bottle of anything. Daryl frowned as he started walking around. He fell to his knees when he saw a bag of money, it was some leather backpack of some sorts. He quickly started shoving the money inside the backpack, ignoring Beth's confusion, "Why are you doing that?" He didn't explain that they could use the money to start a fire for two reasons. First, he simply didn't feel like explaining himself. Second, walkers started snarling outside the club. 

  


They quickly made their way in the basement. The walkers were away, so they were safe for a while. A part of Daryl, somewhere deep inside didn't really seem to care much about whether or not the walkers got to them anymore. He was, neutral. He was neutral about a lot of things. He heard Beth fighting something. He didn't move too fast, it sounded like a walker, she said she can handle herself. Just as he walked into the same room as her, she stabbed the walker in the head. The monster fell to the ground with a thud as Beth galred at Daryl, "Thanks for the help." He shrugged, "Said ya can handle yerself. Ya did." With that, he went back to exploring.

  


They reached a room full of clothes. Beth immediately started looking around excitedly. Daryl walked around lazily, making his way to the cash register. There was a bowl full of candy. Daryl shrugged as he grabbed the treats and filled his pockets. He hummed when he saw a pack of cinnamon sticks. He reached over and took one, then shoved it in his mouth. It was stale, barely had taste left, but he didn't have cigarettes and sometimes chewing on something helped. He glanced at Beth lazily as she made her way to one of the dead ones. The corpse had a sign that said, "Rich Bitch". Maybe she deserved it. Maybe not. Daryl didn't care. Beth did, "Come on, help me." Daryl shrugged as he chewed on the stick, "Doesn't matter... She's dead." Beth protested, "It does." Dary sighed as he got up. He grabbed a blue sheet that was laying on the floor. He threw it over the Rich Bitch's head before he nodded, "There." Then, he started walking out of the room, Beth following.

  


The old clock they saw in the entrance of the corridor started ringing. Daryl cursed under his breath when he heard the snarls of the walkers who came their way. He urged Beth to run down the corridor when more walkers started to head their way. He cursed under his breath when they got cornered in a lounge room. He pushed Beth towards the corner as his chest heaved up and down. He took his crossbow off his back and aimed. The walkers started to pile into the room and he fired his crossbow, taking down one of them. He quickly reached to the ground and took the golf stick that was laying there. With a bit of difficulty, he was able to take down most of the walkers. He had only one left. Even after the monster was on the ground and dead, he continued to hit it, letting out the anger he kept inside. Then, some of its guts flew into the air from the force of Daryl's stick and splashed onto Beth's new clothes. The girl curled her upper lip in disgust as she glared at Daryl, most certainly expecting an apology. She didn't receive one. With a shake of her head, she stormed past Daryl and out of the room. He sighed before he followed her.

  


Once they secured the upper level, Beth sat by the counter after she found a bottle of peach schnapps, "Peach schnapps? Is it good?" Daryl scoffed as he played with his arrow, "Nah." The girl shrugged as she started looking for a glass. Once she didn't find one, she sighed and unscrewed the cap of the bottle slowly. Daryl walked around the room, bored out of his mind before he halted. Beth's sobs, as much as he didn't want to admit, stabbed him right in the heart. He sighed before he stalked over and took the bottle from her. Without hesitation, he dropped it on the floor, the bottle breaking. Once he slung his crossbow over his shoulder, he whistled, "C'mon. Ain't gonna let your first drink be no peach schnapps." He said the name of the drink as if it was the most disgusting thing in his life and he hated it with a burning passion. That got a teary chuckle out of Beth. Him and Beth left the country group, Daryl leading the way. He secretly wished that his siblings, if they were alive, remembered to come to that place.

  


His father's shack was the same as it used to be. Once they broke in, Beth scrunched her face in disgust, but didn't say anything. Daryl didn't care. He was, slightly overwhelmed. All these feelings ran through him. That was the place his father dragged him, Evan and Merle to once their mother burned down in the house. That was the place his father called over his friends to torture Evan and Daryl when Merle wasn't around. They got the majority of their scars in that small, wooden shack. These walls were never home. It was hell on Earth. It was where Daryl became, Daryl. Or at least who he used to be before the group. But the group was gone. Did that mean he had to go back to his old ways? Bring back the chip on his shoulder and keep his distance?  


  


Darryl helped Beth carry in the jars of moonshine. He was surprised he found them after all these years, but then again, nobody really knew where the Dixon's lived, before and after the apocalypse. Most people most likely thought that place was already on the edge of breaking down. They would be right. But it was still shelter.

  


Beth hated the moonshine. She still drank it. Daryl decided to join her. He needed to drink. He just needed to. The two sat in silence as they finished their first jars, before they grabbed another round. Beth smiled at the man, "I have an idea." Daryl raised his eyebrow suspiciously as he slouched down on the ground with his back against the armchair, facing the blonde. Her smile remained on her face as she put her jar on the table and mentioned for Daryl to do the same. He did. She started explaining, "Okay, so there's this game. "Never Have I Ever". Do you know it?" Daryl shook his head as he gnawed on his thumb. Beth's eyes widened slightly as she shrugged, "Alright, I will explain. So, first I say something I have never done before, and if you've done it, you drink. Then we switch. You sure you've never played this game? With Evan or Merle?" Daryl's eyes hardened slightly as he bit down harder, "Ain't never had ta play a game ta get lit." He squinted suspiciously as he titled his head to the side and pointed a finger at the younger girl, "How do you know this game?" Beth shrugged as she looked down at the jar, "My friends played it, I watched... Anyway, let's start... I've never shot a crossbow. Now, you drink." Daryl scoffed as he grabbed his jar and lifted it to his lips, "Ain't much of a game." Beth shrugged as he took a sip and put down the jar, "This is just to show you how it works. Now it's your turn." Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as he glanced at the ground. He shrugged, "Never been outta Georgia." Beth's eyes widened as she cocked her head to the side, "Really?" Daryl, again, shrugged. She shrugged back as she took a sip, "Okay. Now's my turn." There was silence as she glanced at the table between them. "I've never... Been drunk and did something I regretted." Daryl took the jar and lifted it to his lips. He didn't realize that the sip he took was a much larger gulp as he thought of all his drunken regrets. He put the jar down and shrugged at Beth's questioning look, "I've done lotsa things." He sighed as he gnawed on his bottom lip, "Never been on vacation." Beth raised an eyebrow, "What about camping?" Daryl shook his head, "Nah, it was somethin' I had ta learn. Ta hunt." Beth hummed, "Your dad teach you?" Daryl shrugged, "Merle too."Beth nodded before she lifted her jar and took a sip. She hummed thoughtfully. It took her a few moments to come up with something. Then she nodded, "I've never been in jail. As a prisoner."   


  


Daryl's eyes hardened. His lips fell into a grim line as he slowly nodded his head, "'S that what ya think of me?" Beth chuckled as she shrugged, completely oblivious to how much she hurt Daryl, "Didn't mean anything serious. You know, just like, the drunk tank. Even dad's been there, y'know." Daryl's chest felt heavy and he felt as his blood slowly started to boil. He lifted his chin as he mentioned with his hand, "Drink up." Beth's smile only seemed to widen, "Wait, a prison guard? Were you a prison guard before?" Daryl's heart started to become tight, his lungs in a chokehold as he snarled lowly, "No." Beth nodded and only then her smile started to flatten, "Alright... It's your turn again." Daryl's icy eyes continued to stare into the girl's soul. He sighed as he got to his feet, "'Ma take a piss." He grabbed his jar as he started walking to the corner of the small living space. He dropped the jar before he started undoing his pants and Beth exclaimed, "We have to be quiet!" "Can't hear ya, 'm taking a piss!" "Daryl, don't talk so loud-" Daryl glared over his shoulder as he gripped his manhood, "Are ya my babysitter or something?!" He glared at the wall as he continued doing his business. Once he was finished, he started doing his pants as he chuckled, "Oh, wait, now's my turn!" He turned around as he did his zipper, then moved to his belt, "I neveeer... Eaten frozen yoghurt." His glare on Beth got harder as his tone became harsher, "Never had a pet pony! Never got anythin' from Santa Claus! Never relied on anyone for protection before! Hell, I never relied on anyone for anythin!" Beth flinched as she whispered, "Daryl-" "Never sung anythin' out in public, like everythin' was fun! Like everythin' was a big game!" He turned around and took a few steps back, before he turned around and lashed out again, making a cutting motion with his hand, "I sure as hell never cut ma wrist lookin' for attention, even when ma fucking life was fallin' apart and I ain't ever tried ta quit!" A walker from outside started snarling, clearly attracted by Daryl's voice. Daryl kicked a can as he exclaimed in fake happiness, "Oh look, looks like our buddy came!" He took his crossbow off the wall as he pointed at Beth, "Ya said ya've never shot a crossbow! I'm gonna teach ya now, 's gonna be fun!" 

  


*Ignoring Beth's protests, Daryl dragged her outside as he screamed from the top of his lungs, getting the walker's attention, "Dumbass! Come 'ere, dumbass!" He pressed Beth's shaking figure against his front as he pressed his forearm firmly against her chest, holding her in place as he raised his crossbow, "Right corner!" He pushed the girl away as he fired again, then he fixed the weights, not even being able to process the words that left Beth's mouth. He pressed himself against the girl again before he fired. He whistled as he mentioned towards the walker, "Let's get these arrows out, for more practice!" He dumbly headed towards the walker, ignoring the fact that it could scratch or bite him. He glared at Beth as she pushed him out of the way and stabbed the walker in the head, "What the hell is yer problem?!" "What is my problem?! You're being a jackass! Killing them is not supposed to be fun!" Daryl got into her face as he lifted his chin, ignoring the way the girl stepped back in fear, "What the hell do you want from me girl?! Huh?!" She groaned before she got into his face as well, "I want you to stop acting like you don't give a shit about anything! Like nothing we went through matters, like none of the people we lost meant anything to you! It's bullshit!" Daryl moved closer to her, "Is that what you think?" "That's what I know! I know you look at me and you see another dead girl. I'm not Michonne, I'm not Carol, I'm not Maggie and I'm not your fucking sister-" "Don't go there-" "I'm someone too, okay?! I survived and you don't get to treat me like I'm nothing, just 'cause you're afraid!" Daryl lowered his head, red in the face as he seethed, "I ain't afraid of nothing." Beth nodded her head before she lifted her chin, "I remember. Back at the barn, when that little girl walked out, right after my mom," Daryl's lower lip trembled slightly, but he clenched his jaw, stopping the movement, "you were just like me. You were devastated. And now God forbid you let anyone too close!" The man chuckled as he cocked his head to the side, "Too close, huh? Like you know anything about that. You lost two boyfriends in two months and you couldn't even shed a tear!" He choked back a sob as he felt his eyes fill with tears, "Your whole family is gone and here you are, lookin' for some booze like sum' dumb college bitch!" Beth glared as Daryl started pacing, feeling like an animal in a cage, "Screw you, you don't get it-" "No!" Daryl raised his hand as he finally broke, screaming so loud his throat started to hurt, "No, you don't get it! Everyone we know is dead!" "You don't know that!" "Might as well, 'cause ya ain't ever gonna see 'em again!" Daryl breathed out through his nose as his voice broke, " _Rick_ , Evan-" He jammed his finger into Beth's shoulder, "Ya ain't ever gonna see Maggie again!" Beth reached out to take a hold of his forearms, "Daryl, just stop!" "No!" Daryl pushed her away as he turned his back to her. He groaned as he threw his hand in the air, "Governor went straight up ta our gates!" His chest heaved up and down as he tried to control his breathing, "Maybe, maybe if I would've kept lookin', maybe 's 'cause I gave up, maybe that's on me!" "Daryl, don't-" Daryl stepped forward, away from Beth as he whimpered, "No!" His eyes filled with tears and sobs started to bubble deep inside of him. _Evan_. _Rick_. _Carl_. _Merle_. _Carol_. _Glenn_. _Maggie_. _**Hershel**_. "And your dad? M-Maybe I could have done somethin-" Beth finally leaped forward and wrapped her arms around Daryl from behind, the way she did it was one hundred percent different, she meant to comfort him even after he treated her like nothing. She rested her cheek against his back as his entire body started to rock with the force of his sobs. Then, it just became too much.

  


Daryl let the tears fall as a wet sob escaped, followed by a whimper. The force of his sobs became way too _heavy_ for him and his knees buckled beneath him. He rested his chin against his chest, his head way too _heavy_ to hold. Then, Beth kneeled down and guided his chin to rest on her shoulder. She tucked her arms under his as he wrapped his arms around her weakly. She rubbed his back as he tucked his face in the crook of her neck and let out everything he had held in for a long, long time. 

  


His load was way too heavy for him to carry on his own, but she was there to help him.

  



	44. Be Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of Beth and Daryl's adventure after the prison. Daryl finally comes to terms with his past and burns down his demons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before any of y'all get too excited, I just want to say, there won't be Bethyl. I simply never saw Beth and Daryl getting together, as I always thought Daryl loved Beth the way he loved Sophia. In my book, that's the case, he loves kids, because he feels the need to protect the young ones. He's the youngest Dison, Merle is ten years older and Evan is around ten minutes older than him, so Daryl wants to become like, an older sibling to kids, such as Beth, Sophia, Carl, pretty much anyone that's younger than him. He wants to treat kids the way his father never treated him and his siblings. That makes sense? I think so.  
> Let's move on with the chapter.

**season four**

"Now I get why dad stopped drinking."

Daryl raised an eyebrow as he played with his knife, "Ya feel sick?" Beth shook her head, "Nope. I wish I could feel like this all the time. Like, all the time. This is bad. Really bad." Daryl shrugged as he wiggled his nose because he got an itch, "You're a happy drunk." Beth shrugged back as she leaned further against the wooden beam that held the roof up from the attic, "I'm lucky, I guess... Some people are huge jerks when they're drunk." Daryl stabbed his knife into the beam in front of him as he shifted slightly with a lazy, lopsided grin on his thin lips, "I'm a real dick... When I'm drunk." His smile fell slightly as he leaned his head against the beam he was leaning on, "Merle had this bagman... A junkie. Stupid ass twink. Merle, Evan and I were at 'is house. It wasn't even noon and we were wasted, Evan wasn't. She barely drank. Merle was high as a kite. He was, on another planet. There was this stupid cartoon on the TV. Merle kept whining about how stupid it was. Turns out, that cartoon was that twink's kid's favorite show. Guy got sad, he couldn't see his kid or somethin' and he got guilty. So he punched Merle. I started hitting the twink, hard. Evan tried to pry me off. The twink pulled a gun," he made a gun with his fingers and pointed them to his head, "held it right here. Evan and Merle drew theirs. I thought I was gonna die, Evan was close to crying, it was bad. Thought I was done, because of a stupid cartoon with a talking dog. Courage or something, I don't know." Beth nodded as she frowned slightly, "And how did you get out of it?" Daryl looked down at his shoes as a small grin curled on his lip, "Guy punched me in the stomach. I puked. A lot. Almost passed out from how much I puked. Evan fell to her knees by me while Merle and that twink laughed it off, forgot about it twenty minutes later. Evan didn't. She wasn't happy one bit."

His smile fell as he looked down. He gnawed on his bottom lip before he met Beth's blue eyes with his own Georgia Blues, "You wanna know who I was before all this? I was nobody. Nothing. Some redneck asshole. Drifting around with Merle and Evan, helping our brother make deals. Did whatever he said we were doing that day. I was an asshole and an even worse asshole for a brother... To both of 'em." Beth glanced at the ground as Daryl wiped his eyes briefly, "You miss them, don't you?" Daryl nodded without zero hesitation, "Jus' got Merle back a few months ago. Ma sister's always been by my side, since I was pulled out second. Bein' on ma own, only Dixon around... 'S weird. Miss Rick too... Others are family as well, ya too, but... Fer sum time, Rick was what Merle never was. Chose me over Walsh for his right-hand man. Shoulda chosen the cop. Not sum redneck trash." Beth sighed as she leaned her head against the beam, "'S weird, how things ended. None of that would have happened without the apocalypse or whatever this shit is, you know? You and Rick would have never met, you would have never met us... Maggie and Glenn would have never met each other." There was a slight pause before she sighed, "I miss Maggie. I miss her bossing me around. I miss Shawn too. He was, so overprotective. Kinda like Merle, y'know... And I miss dad." Daryl nodded as he gulped. Beth continued, "I thought things would be different, you know? I thought that, Maggie and Glenn would have a baby, he would get to be a grandpa... I thought Rick and Evan would have a baby first." Daryl's eyes widened comically, which made Beth snort in amusement. After she took a sip of moonshine, she continued, "I knew he was going to die... I just thought that he would get really, really old... And he would be surrounded by people he loved... Maybe me, or Maggie, or you would hold his hand as he took his last breath. And it would be quiet and peaceful. He would have a nice, beautiful funeral. We would all say our final goodbyes and send him off to his next adventure..." She chuckled through a sob as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "This is how unbelievably stupid I am." Daryl shook his head as he reached for his jar, "This is how it's supposed to be." 

There was a short moment of silence between them before Beth continued, "I wish that I could just, change." Daryl nodded his head, "You did." Beth shook hers, "Not enough... Not like you. You seem to be made for how things are now." Daryl shrugged as he played with his knife, "'M just used to this, how things are now. Used to things being ugly, growing up in a place like this." Beth shook her head, "You got away from it." "I didn't-" "You did. Daryl, you did. You got away from it. You have to remember, you have to stay who you are and not who you were." Daryl sighed tiredly, "Maybe ya should keep on reminding me that." Beth raised an eyebrow, "I thought you never relied on anyone for anything, huh?" Daryl gave her an apologetic look and she nodded slowly. There was a short moment of silence. Then Beth spoke up, "I'll be gone someday." Daryl's features softened as he shook his head slowly, "Stop-" "I will." Daryl sighed as he leaned back, "You're not a happy drunk." Beth chuckled as she shrugged, "I am, I'm just not blind. I see it. You will be the last man standing... You're going to miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon." 

Daryl sighed as he looked out through the woods, "We should get inside." He looked back at Beth who looked at him with a wide, toothy grin on her face, "We should burn it down." Daryl stared into her eyes. He got up, taking his jar with him, "Come on... We're gonna need more booze for that." Beth giggled happily as she followed Daryl. The two chased each other down to the living room area where the jars of moonshine still sat. Daryl unscrewed the cap of a jar, "Ya were Irish, right?" Beth nodded as she did the same. Daryl raised the jar as he smiled widely, "Slanja!" Beth giggled as she clicked her jar against his, "Slanja!" Once the two took a sip from their jars, they threw them at the wall. After that, they each started grabbing jars and throwing them around, splashing the moonshine all over the place. They grabbed their things and started making a trail outside. Once they threw the last of the moonshine, Daryl pulled out some of the money from the backpack, "This is why I took the freaking money!" He said as he waved it around in Beth's face. He chuckled when she snatched the bundle of money from his hands. He pulled Evan's lighter out of his pocket and handed it to Beth, "Your honor?" Beth nodded with a smile. She set the bundle on fire, then threw it towards the shack. It immediately caught fire, the flames started to spread quickly. The fire reflected in Daryl's eyes and something deep inside, somewhere in his heavy, old soul, he felt warm. He watched the fire in awe as a lone tear slipped from his eye and gently caressed his cheek. The chokehold of his past set him free. Beth elbowed his ribs as she lifted her hand, a middle finger up. He chuckled as another tear slipped from his eye and he rose his own middle finger up, saying Good Riddance to his demons with a tearful smile. 

Walkers started to emerge from the trees, clearly attracted by the fire. Daryl patted Beth's back and she nodded. With that, the two walked away and Daryl couldn't help the smile that curled on his lips. 

-

"It's kinda heavy."   
  
  
Daryl shrugged as he walked slowly behind Beth, his hands folded neatly behind his back, "Ain't that much. Maybe ya's just a wimp-" "Jerk." Daryl masked his chuckle with a cough. Beth sighed as she readjusted her hold on the crossbow. Daryl glanced at the ground as he unfolded his arms and looked back up at Beth. She was concentrated, her eyes both looking to the footsteps on the ground and to where the edge of the arrow was pointing. After a few minutes, she asked quietly, "Are we close?" He hummed positively, "Real close, not long now." Beth lowered his crossbow slightly as her eyes traveled over the ground, "How do you know?" Daryl glanced at her as he bit his lip, "The signs are all there. Ya have ta learn ta see 'em." Beth started to slow down. Daryl hummed as she crouched down and looked at the footsteps, "What's that?" Beth hummed as she looked carefully, "They're not straight... They're really zigzaggy..." Her eyes lit up as she nodded, "It's a walker!" Daryl shrugged, "Or a drunk." Beth scoffed as she readjusted her aim, "I'm getting good at this. Pretty soon I won't need you at all." Daryl's face fell slightly as Beth started walking, "Yeah. Keep on tracking." 

The walker was in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Beth glanced back at Daryl as she whispered, "He's got a gun." He nodded and she nodded back. With that she raised the crossbow and started moving closer, taking cautious and quiet steps. Everything was going smoothly and Daryl was impressed with how well Beth's feet moved over the grass. Then, Beth caught her leg on a wolf trap, which immediately made her feet collapse underneath her. The walker turned around and rose to its feet as it snarled. Beth whimpered as she raised Daryl's crossbow yet again, aimed and fired. The arrow pierced the walker's neck. Just as the monster got dangerously close, Daryl grabbed the crossbow out of Beth's hand and hit the walker's head with it, crushing its skull and sending the body to the ground. After he threw his crossbow carelessly, Daryl kneeled in front of Beth and carefully pulled the wolf trap open, releasing her foot from the metal jaws. Beth hissed in pain when Daryl held her foot and put slight pressure, "Can ya move it?" Beth nodded her head as she moved her foot slowly, her face scrunching up in pain, "Y-yeah." 

Beth was leaning most of her body weight on Daryl as they walked through the woods, Daryl seemed to be leading her somewhere. They came across a graveyard just outside the borderline of the forest, a funeral home a few yards away. Daryl paused when Beth hissed in pain, "Ya good?" She nodded as she put her hand on his shoulder and reached down to touch her foot with the other one, "Yeah, just need to sit down for a second." Daryl glanced at the girl before he sighed, "Alright." He slung his crossbow over his neck and arm, the weapon resting on his chest. He moved in front of Beth as he crouched down, "Come on." Beth chuckled from behind him, "Really? Ya sure?" Daryl nodded as he hummed, "Yep, come on. 'S some serious piggyback, I can carry ya - Oh shit." He hooked his arms under Beth's thighs as he breathed out a few times, "Damn, yer heavier than ya look." Beth snorted as she hit his shoulder. Daryl fake - grunted as he started walking, "Oh jeez."

They walked into the graveyard and passed down several tombstones. Daryl felt his breath hitch in his throat as he paused. Beth jumped down from his back as the man turned his full attention to the tombstone. The words engraved on it glared at them and he could feel the hate, even after his old man was buried six feet under. Daryl sighed as he crouched down and grabbed a random bundle of flowers before he moved to stand in front of the tombstone. Once he put the flowers on top, he moved to stand back next to Beth. She brushed her fingers against his and he turned his palm towards her. She moved his hand and intertwined their fingers, her small hand wrapping around his big one. Daryl sighed as he glanced towards the funeral home while he squeezed Beth's hand, "'S been so long since I've visited. Evan's never been 'ere, nor Merle." Beth shrugged as she squeezed back his hand, "They knew he didn't deserve it. You? He was your father, after all. I get it. You forgave, but never forgot." Daryl nodded his head as he gnawed on his bottom lip. He let go of Beth's hand and stood in front of her, "Come on." Once she climbed on his back, he started walking to the funeral home.

The place was clean. Way too clean. Daryl and Beth looked around, someone clearly tended to the funeral home. Once he found bandages, Daryl wrapped up Beth's foot which immediately made it easier for her to walk. Then, the two continued to look around, checking for any walkers aside of the ones they found in a coffin and the basement. Luckily, there weren't any. They started looking around the place, trying to see if they could find anything useful. The last room to check was the kitchen. They started looking through the drawers, cabinets and cupboards. Then, they opened the last pair of cupboards and Beth exclaimed excitedly. Daryl's mouth started to water, "Peanut butter and jelly? Pig's feet and diet soda? Seems like a white trash breakfast to me." He grabbed a can and frowned before he turned to Beth who started pulling out some of the food, "Wait a second... This doesn't have a speck of dust on them." Beth nodded as she glanced at him, "Yeah? So?" Daryl shook his head as he glanced at the others cans and bottles, "Someone's put them in recently... This is someone's stash... Maybe they're still alive." His eyes fell to the jar of pig's feet and his stomach made a very delightful sound. He nodded his head slowly as he licked his lips, "Alright, we'll take some of it, but we will leave the rest, alright?" Daryl put down the can and grabbed a jar of jelly. Beth chuckled while he unscrewed the top, "I knew it." "Knew what?" Beth smiled as she glanced at him, "That there are still good people." Daryl blushed slightly as he threw the top on the counter. He shoved three fingers inside the jar, scooped some of the jelly and pushed his fingers in his mouth with a loud, over-exaggerated moan which made Beth scrunch her face up, "Gross!" She grabbed some of the food before she walked to the table. Daryl snorted before he pointed to the jar of pig's feet, "These pig's feet are mine, woman!" 

Once they ate, Daryl went outside and started securing the place. It didn't take him too long, but he felt completely exhausted when he was done. As he closed the door behind his back, he frowned slightly when he heard the sound of piano. He followed the angelic melody before he leaned against the door frame of one of the halls. Beth sat behind the piano and even if her playing was a bit rusty, her voice made up for it. Daryl cleared his throat before he spoke up, getting Beth's attention, "Place is secure... Only way in is through the front door." Beth nodded and Daryl nodded back. He put his crossbow on the love seat in the room before he made his way to the open coffin. He hauled himself up and sat in the casket as Beth frowned, "What are you doing?" The man scoffed as he laid back, getting comfortable, "This is the best bed I've had in years." Once he was comfortable, he sighed in content as his thumb immediately flew to his mouth and he started biting on the callus on the tip. He mentioned with his head towards the piano, "Why don't ya go ahead and... Play some more." Beth raised an eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side, "I thought my singing annoyed you." Daryl shrugged before he yawned, "There ain't no jukebox, so..." With a playful eye roll, Beth turned back towards the piano and put her fingers over the keys. She started playing, her sweet voice followed soon after, "And we'll buy beer to shotgun... And we'll lay in the lawn, and we'll be good... Now I'm laughing at my boredom, at my string of failed attempts..." Daryl closed his eyes as his breathing started to even out. Soon enough, he fell asleep, drowning in the velvet of Beth's tone. 


	45. Daryl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Beth bond.   
> But then shit hits the fan. Eventually, we meet Joe. Y'know, the asshole with the claimers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm EXHAUSTED!   
> Took me two days to write the chapter, two hours to edit it and make it decent.   
> I hope y'all enjoy it while I go watch some The Punisher (even if I'm gonna end up falling asleep halfway through the episode, because I'm tired as fuck).   
> See ya around!

**season four**

"Can't believe I, _I_ , me, _myself_ , Islept through ta day." 

Beth scoffed before she closed her eyes again and yawned, "Did you actually sleep in that coffin?" Daryl hummed as he turned to lay on his side then rubbed his eye with his fist, "Was pretty comfortable if ya ask me. Jeez, best sleep I've had in so long, parta me wants to sleep sum more." Beth chuckled as she sat up on the loveseat and started tugging on her boots, "You're going soft, aren't you, Mister Dixon?" Daryl groaned as he shifted into a sitting position, stretching his arms above his head. He kicked his legs as he yawned before he pointed at Beth, "Call me that one more time and I'm gonna slap ya. We've got like, what, fifteen years apart? I ain't that old ta be called Mister Dixon, not yet." Beth's face scrunched in confusion as she cocked her head to the side, "Wait, I'm eighteen... How old exactly are you?" Daryl shrugged as he jumped off the coffin and started looking for his shoes, "Turned thirty-six this January-" "What?!" Daryl raised his eyebrow as he pulled on his work boots, "How old did ya think I am?" Beth blushed slightly as she looked anywhere in the room but not at the redneck, "... Over forty for sure-" " _What_?!" Beth raised her hands in the air as she giggled while Daryl stood in front of her with a hand on his chest and a fake hurt expression on his face, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Daryl scoffed as he threw his hands in the air in disbelief. He jabbed a finger in Beth's shoulder, "Yer a jerk!" then he grabbed his crossbow and started walking away towards the kitchen. Beth laughed as she followed along, a few paces behind him because of her foot. 

He looked over his shoulder and sighed, "Hurry up-" "I'm going as fast as I - Daryl!" Beth giggled as she leaned her head against Daryl's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. He had her scooped up in his arms bridal style. He kicked the door open as he chuckled and stormed inside the kitchen. Once he set Beth down on a chair, he went to the hall to grab his crossbow from the ground. While he was there, he heard the cans rattle from outside. He cursed under his breath as he threw over his shoulder, "Stay there!" He quickly made his way to the front door and peered outside. He frowned when he didn't see anything. After he slowly creaked the door open, his face softened. Beth asked what it was from the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder as he replied, "It's a dog!" He crouched down slowly as he reached out his hand, letting the dog sniff at him, "Come here, boy..." The dog sniffed at his hand, but when he tried to pet it, it ran away with a whimper. Daryl sighed as he got back up to his feet, "Stupid mutt." He turned to walk back inside and nearly bumped in Beth. He raised his eyebrows as he reached behind to close the door, "Told ya to stay in there." Beth chuckled as she looked up at the man, "Yeah, but Daryl... You said there was a dog..." The older of the two sighed as he started walking, "Yeah, let's go."   
  
  


They sat back down in the kitchen and ate, the sun outside started to set. Daryl found some candles in the drawer and lit them up. Beth chuckled as she scrunched her nose up, "You're such a romantic, Dixon." Daryl scoffed as he sat back down next to her while he put the lighter back in Evan's vest, "Stop it. Ya can be my kid if I made ya young enough." Beth scoffed as she started smearing some jelly on a loaf of bread, "I thought you weren't old, now you're practically ready to call me your daughter." Daryl scoffed as he took a bite of a pig's trotter, "Whatever. Can't help but be that way with the youngsters." Beth nodded as she put her peanut butter and jelly sandwich together and took a bite, "I know. You're good with kids. I saw you with Judith, Mika, Lizzie, Carl... All of them. They looked up to you like you were, superman or something... But all of them thought Merle and Evan were more badass." Daryl scoffed as he rolled his eyes, "Yeah, my sister with 'er knives and ma brother with 'is metallic, knife hand. But I was the one to change diapers." Beth giggled as she nodded her head. She took a sip of the diet soda before she sighed. Daryl glanced at her as he took a bite of his own sandwich, "What's up?" Beth shook her head as she sniffled slightly, "Nothing... I just... Miss Carl. Judith. They... Nevermind." Daryl nodded his head as he gnawed on his lip, "I getcha... I do." 

The two sat in silence as they ate. Daryl licked his fingers clean while Beth pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil from one drawer and sat back down. He frowned when she started writing, "What are ya doing?" Beth shrugged as she continued to write, "I'm going to leave them a thank you note... For when they come back, well, if they come back. I just wanna say thank you." Daryl shrugged as he wiped his fingers on his pants, "Maybe... Maybe you don't have to leave that." Beth frowned, "Why not?" "You know. Maybe we can stay 'ere... If that dude comes back, I can talk to 'em. They could be insane, but... They could be alright." Beth smiled at him as she looked at him through the corner of her eye. Daryl raised an eyebrow as he chewed on the inside of his cheek, "What?" Beth shrugged as she finally let out a giggle, "You still think there are good people around, but... I don't know." She looked at him with a smile, "What changed your mind?" Daryl blushed to the tip of his nose, "Ya know..." Beth shook her head before she cocked it to the side, "I don't. Tell me." Daryl grumbled underneath his breath which made the girl chuckle, "Don't growl at me. What changed your mind?" Daryl shrugged as he slouched down in the chair and gnawed on his bottom lip, "Ya know." He mentioned with his head towards the blonde before he lifted his thumb to gnaw on it. Beth's smile softened slightly as she nodded her head, "Oh." 

The cans from outside rattled again. Daryl grabbed one of the pig's feet as he got up, "Alright, 'm gonna give this mutt a last shot." He pointed at Beth as he started leaving the kitchen, "Stay." She raised her hands in mock surrender as he walked out of the room. He reached the front door and when he opened it, hell went loose.

Everything around him was a blur of his own, panicked screams, Beth's voice and the snarls of the walkers. Daryl was able to push the door shut long enough for Beth to throw him his crossbow. He pushed himself off the door and ran away, pushing Beth into the kitchen and closing the door, "Pack yer shit! Get outta the window!" The blonde protested, but he was already leading the walkers away, "Meet me at the road! Go, now!" "I'm not leaving without you!" "Ain't got time for that shit! I will find ya!" 

Not long after, he found himself trapped. In the basement. In the corner with just an operating table separating the walkers from him. Daryl never really panicked. He knew that panic wasn't going to do him any good in life-threatening situations, but that time, he couldn't help himself as he started to hyperventilate. How was he doing to survive that? Was it even possible?

Evan survived the entire fiasco in the shopping center, when she was trapped in the corner and had to fight her way out through the window. Merle cut off his own hand, for Christ's sake! Daryl was a Dixon and as a Dixon, he had to fight for his life, it was in their blood. His daddy didn't torture him for nothing. Plus, there was someone that depended on him. He had to get his shit together. 

  
  
So, Daryl did just that. 

He clenched the surgical tools he had in his hands and started stabbing away at the heads of the walkers, fighting off as many of them as possible. The walkers were like a boiling pot of water, they jumped, scratched at each other, their sharp nails scratching their own kind as their ice-cold, lifeless eyes made promises to kill. That was exactly what Daryl wanted. He felt a rush of adrenaline deep down in his veins as he quickly ducked. The walkers' wails got louder as they tried to climb over the other to reach him somehow. While they were so lost in their own fury, Daryl crawled under the operating table and jumped out behind them. He pushed the other table towards the walkers, trapping them in. From then on, getting out was a piece of cake. He was able to fight his way through the walkers, up the stairs and out of the funeral home. Running as fast as he could, he followed Beth's tracks. The girl remembered to put more pressure on the heels of her feet, leaving clear footprints for Daryl to follow. Daryl's chest heaved up and down as he slowly came to a halt and frowned when he saw the black, leather backpack laying on the ground. His head snapped upwards when he heard the screech of tires and before he knew it, a car with a white cross on it was speeding away. His eyes widened as he immediately took off running, screaming desperately, "Beth! Beth!" 

He ran. 

His lungs were on fire and his entire body ached every single time his feet touched the ground. Daryl was running for so long, he lost track of time. He had to keep running, no matter how much it hurt. Poor, innocent Beth, God only knew what the bastards would do to her. He failed Rick, Carl, Lil' Ass-kicker, he failed his sister and his brother, failed all these people, there was no way he was going to let Beth down. She needed him, more than ever, more than anyone else did. If only he hadn't had that moment of panic in the basement, maybe he would have gotten to her in time. What if she screamed out for him and he never replied? What if she begged for him to help her and he didn't, because she was out of reach? 

  
  


Daryl ran even faster. 

The moon started to disappear. The sun started to peak out in the horizon. Slowly, the sky started to light up. Daryl still ran. He was drenched in sweat, he couldn't feel his legs, his lungs were wheezing and his feet were begging for him to stop. But if he did, that could be fatal. Beth needed him, he had to hurry. So, after he stopped for not even a second, wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket, he took off again.

But then, the trail went cold. 

Daryl came to a halt as he looked around. Railroad tracks crossed over the road he spent good ten hours running on. He took long, ragged breaths as he ran his fingers through his hair, his chest was heaving and he felt like he could pass out. That was it. He was alone. He failed Beth, he lost the car and that meant Beth was gone. After he took a few more steps, his crossbow seemed way too heavy for him to hold as it slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. His knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground. He brought one of his knees up and leaned forward. Shifting, he leaned his forearm on his lifted knee before he laid his forehead on top. He couldn't even think of breathing through his nose, he took deep breaths through his mouth as he felt his lungs hiccup with sobs. He failed Beth.

A few hours passed and he still sat there. Daryl couldn't move, not because he was tired, but because he was emotionally drained. He didn't know if he wanted to move on, didn't know if he could. What was the point? He was alone. He deserved to be. Ain't nothing good ever happened to a Dixon.

Daryl was a hunter. He heard the group approach even before they noticed him. He was sure that from the distance, he looked like a roadkill. He felt like one too. A part of him wished that whoever was approaching his would leave him alone, but sure as hell, a man sitting alone on the middle of the road after the world ended seemed worthy enough of an investigation. Daryl just hoped he didn't have to kill anyone. He had killed people before, or at least the asshole with the tank and if he needed to, he was going to kill again. And just with his Dixon luck, the men surrounded him, the one who was seemingly the leader was way too close for Daryl's liking, same with his stupid shotgun. Daryl was happy he had a few arrows and his crossbow rested in his lap. The man spoke up, "Well, well, well... What do we have 'ere?!" He poked Daryl's shoulder with the shotgun. That, was a mistake.

Daryl shot up like a rattlesnake, punching the man in the nose, knocking him on his back. With just as fast of a move, he aimed his crossbow at the man, completely ignoring the rednecks around him that held him at gunpoint. The man ordered his pals to put down their weapons as he wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, a charming yet sinister smile on his face, his voice like velvet. As he looked down at his hand, he started laughing, his laughter became louder and louder, his shoulders shook and his graying hair swayed up and down. Daryl was almost one hundred percent sure the man was crazy. He didn't move, didn't even blink as he glared at the man who continued to chuckle as he got up to his feet slowly, "A bowman! I respect that. Ya see a man with a rifle, he coulda been some kinda photographer, soccer couch back in the day, but... A bowman's a bowman, through and through." He cocked his head to the side as he raised an eyebrow, "What ya got there, a hundred fifty pound draw weight? I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least three hundred feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that,-" Daryl's hold on the crossbow tightened, "of course I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains." Daryl didn't budge, didn't move a muscle, his Georgia blues were hard, staring into the soul of the stranger. The older man scoffed as he rolled his eyes, "You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you several times over. That what ya want?" Daryl didn't respond. "Oh come on fella, suicide is stupid." He smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows, "Why kill yourself when you can kill other people? I'm Joe." 

Daryl was in a battle with himself. He didn't really have a reason to live. Everyone he loved, all these people, he failed them, they were gone, he deserved to die. But, his stubbornness simply did not allow himself to be killed by scumbags that were just like his father. Just like _him_.

So, he lowered the crossbow. 

"Daryl." 


	46. Clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a sneak peak of Daryl's childhood, Daryl hates being with Joe and the claimers and he starts noticing clues which made him more than anxious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ, writing this chapter was, excuse my French, a pain in the ass. I was in a dark place while writing it, which made it easier to get lost and the chapter actually turned out to be 4k words long, which meant I had to give y'all a cliffhanger. So, yea, cliffhanger alert!  
> Also, I don't really know my readers on this platform, but still, I hope that y'all are safe, I know that being in quarantine can take its toll on all of us, it's easy to fall back into a depressed state, I myself was feeling alright a few weeks ago and yesterday I just wanted to find a belt or rope or something, BUT instead I got lost in my little TWD fantasy. Just remember that everything is going to be okay eventually.  
> Now, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!  
> 

**season four**

Daryl remembered back when he was really, really young and he heard cheering downstairs. It was weird and disturbing, as it must have been around two in the morning. Evan was sleeping on the armchair in the room, tucked under their mother's arm. He was terrified, but thankful that both were asleep, Evan had a cold and his mom had a bottle of vodka before bed, combined with her pills, that usually meant she would be asleep until the afternoon of the next day. He hated the pills his mommy had to take, but she told him it was for her own good. As he grew older, he knew that she wanted to be drugged to unconsciousness because staying awake through their father's torture was way too much. That was why he started drinking at the age of ten.

But back then, Daryl was like any other kid. He was curious. He wished that that night, he had stayed on the couch, but he didn't. Instead, he slid off the couch, opened the door and sneaked down the hall of the one-storey house just like how his older brother Merle showed him. He was barefoot, which made it easier to stay quiet and he was sure that his brother would be proud of him for doing such a good job and remembering what he taught him at the woods. His feet made no sound even on the old, usually creaking boards. The cheering got louder and louder as he neared the living room.

Daryl stopped by the corner of the corridor, leaning against the wall. The room was dark, just the small TV was the only source of light, however it was loud. Really loud. The loud booming voices of his father and his friends, the sound of beer bottles breaking, the occasional, low grunt. Daryl's breath hitched in his throat as he slowly started to shake with fear. He was curious, he wanted to see what was going on, but he was scared... Maybe it wasn't too late to just go back to bed and forget he even heard anything... But, curiosity got the best of him. He turned around so his stomach and chest were flat against the wall and he peered around the corner so just the tip of his nose was barely poking from the corner, he could look into the room without getting caught... 

Curiosity killed the cat, they said.

Merle was laying on the floor on his side, his eyes were open and blood trailed down from the corner of his lip and onto the ground. He was limp as his father and his friends circled him, beers in hand as they kicked him wherever they could. His face would barely scrunch up in pain from time to time, but he laid there motionless, not trying to fight, neither begging for them to stop. He just, laid there, seemingly just waiting it out. Daryl gasped as he backed away, losing his footing and falling on his ass. 

That was a huge mistake. 

One of the men noticed him and alerted Will. Merle's face scrunched up and his eyes widened when he saw his baby brother against the wall, cowering away from the man that was approaching him, taking his belt off. With what power, Daryl, even as an adult, didn't know, Merle quickly pushed away the men as he scrambled to his feet. He pushed past his father, hard, before he put his hands on the man and pushed him away. His chest was puffed out and he spit out blood before he spoke up, his voice dangerously low as his hands balled into fists, "Ya can hit me all ya want. Ya can torture me, if ya please. But ya make one move toward' Dar an' it ain't gonna end well." Daryl's voice was quiet as well, but it shook with fear, "Merle-" "Daryl, go back to bed. Now." Daryl looked up at his brother who didn't move, keeping his eyes trained on the men like a hawk, "M-Merle-" "I said go!" Daryl sprung to his feet and ran as fast as he could back to the room. The last thing he saw was his brother falling to the floor from the force of their father's fist.

It was crazy how much Joe and the claimers reminded him of his father and his friends. He was in Senoia, or at least close, if he knew well. He was sure that if they were locals, he could just say his last name and the assholes would either bow down to him or kill him. He decided to keep his mouth shut. He also didn't mention that he had family, a brother and a sister. Part of him felt like they would hunt her down and do things to her that, just by thinking about them, made Daryl's blood run cold and boil at the same time. After all, these guys were hunting down a guy who killed their friend. Daryl didn't know if he was going to participate or not, didn't know any details, he just overheard them talking. It wasn't his battle to fight.

The claimers were complete and utter assholes and Daryl lost count of how many times he wanted to punch one of them. Well, all of them, but one of them continued to just, stir up his soul. He couldn't breathe that man, he didn't even care to remember that asshole's name, it was something with the letter 'L' or whatever, what he did know was that the guy was walking on some really thin ice and he was going to get a fist or five in the jaw if he didn't cut the bullshit. Joe, no matter how much he pretended to try and make it seem as if Daryl was welcome around them, was just a hypocrite, wannabe of a leader and he pissed Daryl off even more. That douchebag cut Daryl's rabbit in half! At least he got the back legs, which is were most of the meat is, and he desperately hoped that by holding the rabbit by its legs meant that the meat wasn't going to get ruined by guts, least thing he needed was to catch some sort of disease because he ate tainted meat. 

If he heard the word, "claim", one more time, he was going to snap. 

His new group had came across a garage. They were quick to claim all of the vehicles that were in there, leaving Daryl to sleep on the floor in the middle of the garage, using a trash bag he didn't know he had where he kept the rabbit as a pillow. He raised his arm and gnawed on the side of his thumb as he closed his eyes while he tried to find a more comfortable position. Finally, he stopped moving as he continued to bite on his finger, wishing for nothing more to be back in that coffin with Beth just a few feet away from him on the loveseat or even better, with everyone else back in the prison.

Daryl slept with one eye open. He knew better than to fall asleep in a room full of assholes. He couldn't help but take a short nap for an hour before the sun slowly started to rise. By the time he, himself, woke up, the others started to move about as well. That Len guy continued to glare at him as if Daryl took a shit in his cereal, but Daryl didn't even bother to look at him and Joe seemed to notice that. Did Daryl care? No. So he just went outside to take a piss. Once he was finished, he walked back inside and returned to his position from earlier while the others ate. He decided to keep his rabbit for later, instead he pulled out a cinnamon stick and started chewing on it. 

All of a sudden, that Len asshole started making his way closer, "Ya took it, didn't ya?" Daryl sat up as he pulled the stick out of his mouth, not even bothering to glare, he just raised his eyebrows in annoyance, "Ya step back." Len pointed a finger at him as he raised his voice, which made Daryl stand up defensively. The others watched the scene unfold, "My part of the rabbit was in the bag, now it's gone! Now, ain't nobody 'round 'ere interested in no damn cottontail except ya, ain't that right? Yer the only one still thinkin' 'bout it?" Len tried to reach for his bag, "Empty your bag-" "I said back off!" The Dixon snatched his bag as he stepped backwards. By that point, Joe had walked up to the two men. He snatched the bag of out of Daryl's hand as he slowly turned to face him, "Did you take Len's rabbit, Daryl?" Daryl shook his head as he spoke through gritted teeth, "Didn't take nothin'." Joe shrugged before he dumped the contests of the bag. The rabbit's parts fell to the ground and Daryl saw _red_.

Daryl took a few steps forward as he pushed Len back, "Ya put it there! Ya put it there while I was taking a piss, didn't ya?!" Len bit back as he jabbed his finger in Daryl's shoulder repeatedly, tugging the devil's tail, "You lied! You stole!" He nodded his head at his leader as the other members of the group started to move closer, "We should teach him a lesson, Joe!" Joe stepped between the men as he put a hand on Len's shoulder and pushed him back, "Now, now, now, I say we wait a second... Daryl 'ere says he didn't steal yer rabbit... But it was in his bag... Either he's lying, which is an actionable offence," he glanced at Daryl who didn't seem to be backing down before he returned his attention to his own, "Or ya didn't plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheatin', coward cop, did ya? 'Cause that wouldn't be specifically breakin' the rules, but it'd be disappointing." Len nodded thoughtfully before he gritted his teeth as he got closer to Joe's face, "I didn't." Joe nodded as he glanced at Daryl, "Well then..."  
  
  


The force of his fist was so harsh, it sent Len to the ground after Joe punched him in the jaw. Joe scoffed as he nodded at his boys and they quickly sprung into action, "He's a lying sack of shit n' 'm freakin' sick of it. Teach 'im, jents, teach 'im all the way." He turned around to face Daryl who had a slight look of surprise in his eyes. He pointed a finger at Dixon as he nodded his head, making sure his point was clear, "Ya didn't lie. He did. Ya get the rules. He doesn't." Crouching down, he shrugged before he threw Daryl Len's part of the rabbit, "I guess ya got it all ta yerself now, huh?" 

Not that long after, Daryl, Joe and his claimers took off, leaving Len's body behind to rot. Good riddance. Daryl and Joe went through the woods while the rest of the group went down some railroad tracks. Daryl couldn't help but feel a weird feeling as he, himself, stepped on the railroad tracks. He stopped in front of a sign by the tracks, his eyes scanning over the words. " _Sanctuary For All_ , _Community For All_ " He glanced to Joe as he mentioned with his hand towards the sign, "'S that for real?" Joe scoffed as he stood next to him, "Nah, it's all just lies. Ain't no people givin' Sanctuary ta people like ya n' me and ya know it." Daryl frowned as the man started walking. His frown started to deepen as he caught on the three sets of footprints, which Daryl could recognize from miles from how many times he had to track them down... Or maybe he was wrong. He had to be wrong.

Daryl fell into step as Joe while the man shared a few words on the topic of the man they were looking for. The time was appropriate to ask, "So, this guy yer trackin'?" Joe raised an eyebrow, "Now you care." Daryl shrugged. "Well, we were at some house, mindin' our own business... Until, ya see, some walking piece of fecal matter was hidin' in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou an' left 'im ta turn. Lou came at all of us. He lit out. We tracked 'im down these tracks, one of these signs an' we've got a destination in mind." Daryl nodded as he kept his eyes on the tracks, occasionally glancing at Joe, as it was only appropriate to look at the person you're talking to during a conversation, "Ya saw his face?" Joe mentioned with his head towards the man in front of them, "Only Tony. That's enough for a reckoning." Daryl and that Tony guy seemed to notice something at the same time. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Still, Daryl played along, hoping to keep whatever he found to himself, "Claimed." The man glared at him as Daryl pushed forward before he crouched down and pulled the radish from the dirt. The others walked past him, leaving him at last. Daryl's eyes lingered briefly on the wrapping of the Big Cat dessert chocolate bar. He had seen these way too many times, as his sister-in-law had an obsession with these. 

Daryl was starting to panic, _slightly_. There were way too many clues. First, Rick was always able to do something stupid without even trying, he always seemed to bring trouble upon himself. Second, Daryl knew what the footprints he left with the heels of his cowboy boots looked like by heart. Third, Michonne was obsessed with Big Cat. The third set of footprints had to be Carl's, because there was no way Rick would let his son out of his sight. Maybe Judith was with them too? Maybe she was still alive?

What was he supposed to do? Did he have to leave Joe and the claimers then and there and try to track down Rick and the others faster than the assholes? And what if Joe and his group went to them first? But what if when they found them, Daryl was still with the ones who literally tracked down his family to kill them, what were they going to do? Daryl sighed as he closed his eyes for a second. He had some serious explaining to do once he came across his former leader. He just hoped his tracking abilities were still as precise as before and these were actually Rick's cowboy boots he was following, otherwise it would suck to nearly cry from joy at the sight of some barely recognizable footprints. 

He hoped they were actually Rick's. They had to be.

The sun started to set, the guys leading the search said they were getting closer and Daryl was low-key starting to panic. He, himself, knew that they were getting closer and closer. One of the claimers went to sneak up on whoever they were tracking, Daryl was almost one hundred percent sure it was Rick. When he came back with a determined look, Joe smiled. They made up a plan to sneak up on the three, apparently two were outside and there was one more person in a car. Everyone started to move into action, ready to take up their places so the plan could get going. Joe turned to Daryl as he nodded his head, "Ya can stay 'ere if ya want son, this ain't yer fight to fight." Daryl agreed and before he knew it, Joe disappeared. That was when Daryl let out a very, very colorful combination of curse words leave hit thin lips as he ran his fingers through his overgrown hair. He had to think fast.

There was a possibility that whoever they were tracking wasn't Rick, nor Michonne and Carl, God only knew how many people wore cowboy boots. But Daryl just knew Rick, knew everything about him, every single little detail, he was sure there were things he knew which Lori didn't even know after nearly twenty years of marriage. Rick was, _his_ Rick. _His_ brother, _his_ family, the man who taught him how to open up to others and have self worth. He had to do something. That was why with another low, "Fuck..." muttered under his breath, Daryl stalked over to where Joe and the claimers were.

"Ten Mississippi." Joe had a gun. "Nine Mississippi." It was, in fact, Rick, Michonne and Carl. One of Joe's guys was staring at Carl with a sinister grin on his lips through the window of the car door. "Eight Mississippi - " Daryl had to do something. " _Joe_! "


	47. Yer Family Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rickyl brotherly reunion, Carl and Daryl nephew / uncle love. Rick and Daryl talk about some really important stuff and things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was genuinely, my favorite Rickyl moment so far. I also cried like a bitch when I first watched that episode. Holy shit, Andrew and Norman are PHENOMENAL! I need my Rickyl brothers reunion in the Grimes movies ASAP!   
> This is usually where I talk about the chapter, but instead I wanna say, there are some magnificent writers on this platform, man! You just find yourself on the edge of your seat, you laugh and cry with the characters, just, huge kudos!   
> So far my favorites have to be Curveball by MaroonCamaro, The Shark Heart by most_curiously_blue_eyes, Shadows Where I Stand by skarlatha and I saw you lying there by Justley. I genuinely love Rickyl, these have a deep place in my heart. Like, if you ask me these are the best writers in the TWD fandom. Instead of wasting your time reading my shit, you should check them out! (by no means am I trying to make someone like me, I just love these works and decided to suggest some to other fellow Rickyl shippers if there are any. It would be cool if AO3 let you make a reading list like Wattpad does.)  
> Now, if y'all wanna move forward to the chapter, please, be my guest!

**season four**

"Ten Mississippi." Joe had a gun. "Nine Mississippi." It was, in fact, Rick, Michonne and Carl. One of Joe's guys was staring at Carl with a sinister grin on his lips through the window of the car door. "Eight Mississippi - " Daryl had to do something. "Joe!" 

Michonne's head snapped to the side, her eyes wide. Daryl was sure he could see a few tears gather in them. Rick's own eyes were closed as he breathed out, his breath shaky. Opening these Georgia blues, Rick's face softened as his eyes widened slightly, a look of relief overtaking his features. But then the confusion came in and his eyebrows were furrowed. Daryl glanced at Carl before he moved even closer, looking at Joe, his voice desperate, "Hold up - " "You're stopping me on eight, Daryl!" "Just, hold up..." One of Joe's dogs glared at Daryl as he held his shotgun trained on Michonne, "This is the guy who killed Lou so we ain't got nothing to talk about-" Joe cut him off as he glanced at his man, not moving the gun from the still confused Rick's temple, "The thing about now is that we ain't got nothing but time..." He nodded at Rick's right-hand man, "Say your price, Daryl."

Daryl was never good with words. He hoped that he was good enough, "T-these people. These are good people, you've gotta let 'em go." Joe smirked as he cocked his head to the side, "I think that Lou would disagree with ya on that. I, of course, have to speak for him and all, 'cause your friend 'ere, " he gestured with his free hand to Rick who was gritting his teeth, "strangled 'im in a bathroom."

Daryl nodded his head slowly before he shrugged, "You want blood... I get it..." Rick wouldn't look at him. Daryl took a long look at the man he loved as a brother while he dropped the bag and threw his crossbow to the side. He spread out his arms slowly and Rick's eyes finally met his, they were wide and filled with fear, love, they just had that entire brotherly emotion Daryl missed seeing. He nodded his head as he stepped forward, "Take it from me, man. Come on."

Joe's eyebrows were raised in disbelief. He didn't move his gun from Rick's head as he spoke up, "You're saying these people are good people... He killed our friend in cold blood... Now, Daryl, I don't know if you see it, but this-this right here is a lie... It's a lie!" Daryl huffed before he felt the first blow, the back of a shotgun knocked out all of the air he had in his lungs and sent him to the ground as he heard Rick's desperate call, "No!" The bastards slammed Daryl against the side of the vehicle, Carl was utterly terrified, but before he could open his mouth to scream out, he was pulled out of the car and Daryl was thrown to the ground.

Daryl could have begged for mercy. He didn't. He laid there while punches and kicks crushed him, he let himself be thrown around like a rag doll. It was just like back in the day. He understood why Merle didn't fight back, he understood why Merle let himself get beaten. He did it for the ones he loved. Daryl was most likely going to die. Was he okay with it? Most certainly not, but at least he got to see Rick, Carl and Michonne again, one last time. He hoped that they forgave him for being with these jerks and not tracking them down sooner.

The punches stopped. There were some gagging sounds and it seemed as if time had stopped. Daryl quickly glanced to the source of the sound and he was more than happy to see Joe on the ground. While the two men who were beating him up just a few moments ago were still staring at the blood on Rick's face, Daryl quickly shot up and punched one of them, sending him to the ground. He didn't hesitate to stomp the guy's head with his foot, breaking his neck and pretty much crushing his skull. Michonne took the opportunity and got the gun from Tony before she shot him and the guy who was ready to attack Daryl all over again. Daryl understood why Merle fell in love with her. He leaned against the hood of the car as the only one left of the claimers threatened to kill Carl. Michonne pointed the gun at him, but Rick stopped her. He took Joe's knife as he slowly made his way to the man, "He's mine."

The man was so scared, he tossed Carl to the side like trash and threw his hands up in surrender. Carl quickly scrambled over to Michonne and she wrapped her arms around him, holding the boy close. Daryl breathed heavily as he leaned against the hood of the car and his eyes fell on Carl for a moment while the man begged for his life. Carl nodded his head quickly as Michonne held him closer, promising Daryl that he was okay. Daryl then turned his attention to Rick.

Rick completely ignored the man's pleas, prayers and cries. Instead, he drove the knife deep into the man's stomach, which caused him to fall to his knees with a sound between a gasp and a sob. Rick grabbed the man's jaw, holding his victim steady as he slowly drove the knife up, gutting the man like a fish. It wasn't until the bastard was dead when he finally let the body drop to the ground. He stomped the guy's head in, making sure that the asshole was going to stay dead. 

Daryl pushed himself off the car and took a few steps forward. Carl quickly pried himself away from Michonne and threw his arms around Daryl, burying his face in the man's shoulder. It took a few moments for Daryl to warm up, but he eventually wrapped his arms around the boy, bringing him even closer and snuggling his face into the kid's hair as he held him tightly. Once they pulled back, Daryl held Carl at arm's length, "Ya alright?" Carl nodded his head and Daryl nodded back. He patted Carl's shoulder before Michonne made her way over and gave him a short hug, "Good to know you're alive." Daryl saw the look in her eyes. She meant it, but she wasn't too happy with him. She had every reason to be mad, disappointed, whatever she felt. Daryl was angry at himself, he was no longer a redneck trash, he was one of them. Michonne saw the regret and her face softened slightly. She mentioned with her head towards Rick who kept his back to everyone, he was simply dragging away the bodies and collecting everything he thought was worthy. Daryl nodded and gave Michonne a gentle pat on the back. Carl and Michonne started setting up the car for the night using whatever they found in the trunk while Daryl and Rick took care of the bodies. They were done in the middle of the night, Rick went off to the car while Daryl grabbed a water bottle and headed off to the creek nearby. Finding water and boiling it would give Rick enough time alone, Daryl decided it was best to give the man some space.

Daryl made his way to the car. Rick was leaning against the side of it, just like he did when Daryl left, his face and hands covered in blood, his blue eyes seemed just so tired and drained, they seemed empty. Daryl stood off to Rick's side as he took the red rag that always hung from his pocket and started to wet it with some of the water that was in the water bottle. Rick glanced at him as he shook his head, speaking up for the first time since the entire situation with Joe, "We should save it to drink." Daryl reached out his hand, mentioning to the car where Carl slept before he handed Rick the rag, "Ya can't see yerself, but he can." Rick took the drag from him with a grateful nod. Daryl returned it before he lowered himself next to Rick as he leaned his back against the tire. He decided the time was good for an explanation.

Daryl kept glancing at Rick from time, hoping to catch his eyes as it was important for him to look Rick in the eyes whenever they spoke. Rick, however, wouldn't look at him as he simply tried to clean himself up, "I... I didn't know what they were." Rick nodded his head as he scrubbed down under his mouth. Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as he looked down at the water bottle in his hand while Rick asked, "How'd you end up with them?" Memories of Beth ran in his mind as he sighed, trying to ignore the ache in his heart, "I was with Beth... I was with 'er for a while..." Rick nodded slowly as he looked at Daryl, "She dead?" The hunter wished he had an answer. He wished that he could track down the bastards that kidnapped her so at least he would know if she was alive. He gave a shrug before he returned Rick's gaze, "She's just gone." Rick nodded as he looked away and went back to cleaning himself up. The man sighed as Daryl continued, "After that, that's when they found me... I mean, I knew they're bad, grew up with asshats like that, but... They had a code. It was stupid and simple, but, it was enough." Rick nodded as he scrubbed between his fingers, "And you were alone." Daryl nodded as he looked away and bit down even harder on his lip. It hurt from the cut he had there. That bastards gave him bruised ribs, black eye, he was black and blue from head to toe. He deserved it. "Said... Said they were lookin' for some guy... I didn't wanna be a part, I was gonna leave... But then I saw 'em footprints, tracks, everythin'... I knew it was y'all... I stayed... Didn't wanna know what would happen if these assholes found ya 'fore me." He nodded his head before he looked back at Rick, "Realized it really was you three, right when ya saw me." Rick's face softened slightly as he furrowed his eyebrows, it was Daryl who broke the eye contact that time. He couldn't look the man in the eyes. He kept his eyes on the water bottle in his hands as he shook his head slowly, "I didn't know... what they could do." Daryl felt Rick's eyes on the side of his face, but he couldn't look at him. "It's not on you, Daryl. Hey," He finally met Rick's crystal blue eyes as the man nodded his head, his eyebrows raised slightly to show that his words were true, "It's not on you. You've been back here, with us, now... That's everything." Daryl gave a short nod before he looked away with a sigh. He still felt like a piece of shit. What if Joe didn't bother to count, but simply shot Rick then and there? What if he waited for Daryl to say his piece and then shot Rick, right in front of him? He could have gotten his family killed-

"You're my _brother_. " 

Daryl's head snapped to face Rick, he almost gave himself a whiplash. Rick looked deep into his Georgia blues and Daryl felt a weight lift from his chest. His frown seemed to slowly disappear as he searched Rick's face for any sign of a lie, but there was none. He really thought of Daryl as his brother. His eyes were full with that emotion that was always there since maybe, the farm, or even before that. He thought he might actually cry, he was pretty damn close. He had absolutely no idea why Rick treated him the way he did, he didn't deserve that. But then he knew Rick would never lie and he never gave him a reason to question his decisions. Daryl looked away as he gnawed on his bottom lip.

Rick gave up on scrubbing away the blood, instead he simply played with the rag in his hands. It was Daryl's turn to comfort his brother, "What ya did last night... Anybody woulda done that." Rick shook his head with a small smile on his lips, "No... Not that." Daryl shrugged as Rick looked away, "Whatever, somethin' happened..." He looked back at Rick as he nodded his head, "That ain't you-" "Daryl, you saw what I did to Tyreese!" His eyes met Daryl's as his tone became slightly softer, "It ain't all good, but that's me." He sighed before he cocked his head to the side with a satisfied nod, "That's why I am here now, that's why Carl is, that's why you and Michonne are, I've gotta keep the ones that I love safe, nothing matters, y'all are all I have left." He leaned his head against the car door as he sighed, "I tried to reason with the Governor, this is why now Judith ain't here, Glenn, Maggie... Evan and Merle..." Daryl's face softened as Rick let out a shaky breath, "It ain't on ya, man. None of that shit is yer fault. It ain't." Rick chuckled as he shrugged, his voice was getting thick with tears, "How can you even talk to me after I didn't kill the man who ruined your family, who killed your sister and brother? How can you even look at me-" "There was a time, where ya were more of a brother than Merle ever was." Rick snapped his head to face the other man. Daryl nodded his head, "Said that before, gonna say it again, times and times over... Yer family too." Rick sighed before he looked away. He nodded as he pushed himself to his feet, "See if Michonne and Carl are ready to leave." Daryl nodded as he got to his feet. He handed Rick the bottle full of water and received a grateful nod in return. With that, their leader walked away.


	48. Welcome To Terminus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Carl have a talk... Then they reach Terminus and everything goes to hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing the Daryl and Carl dialogue really made me like this chapter, even if I do feel like it's kind of dull. I would have posted it hours ago, but my godfather and I got to hang out and well, I forgot to finish editing it.  
> Do any of y'all play any instruments? I play the guitar! Here's a random fact of the day! I think I'm gonna start writing fact of the day or something, so we get to know each other.   
> Anyway, let's go on with the chapter! I'm excited to write season five and I feel like season four was the longest season I've ever written by the count of chapters. I hope I did the amazing season finale justice.

**season four**

Rick was leading the way. Carl, Michonne and Daryl decided to give the man his space, they knew he needed some time on his own to clear his mind. He had saved them, but the price was big. Daryl was sure Rick could still taste blood on his tongue.

Michonne walked a few feet ahead of Carl and Daryl before she fell into step with Rick, most likely to check up on him. Daryl wasn't going to leave any of them out of his sight, especially the kid. There was no power that was gonna make him get separated from them again. He got a second chance to protect his family and he was ready to die, to kill and do everything and anything for them, and for their safety. 

Carl would glance at the older man from time to time, then just shake his head and look away. Daryl didn't push it. He knew Carl. If the kid wanted to say something, he would, at his own time and own pace. Sure enough Carl spoke up, "Daryl?" The man hummed in acknowledgement as he gnawed on his bottom lip, shooting the teenager a glance. The kid furrowed his eyebrows slightly, just like his father when he was concerned as he asked softly, "Are you okay?" Daryl frowned as he glanced at his shoes. He nodded slightly as he glanced at Carl before he looked straight forward, "Gotta be." Carl's frown only seemed to deepen. The man sighed as he kicked a rock that happened to be in his way, "Why do ya and yer father 'ave to be so protective?" That earned a cocky smile from the teen, "Because we care, Daryl. Don't ask stupid questions." Daryl scoffed as he glanced at the young Grimes. Carl sighed before he looked away, "Y'know... I understand how you feel. I do... Just, don't forget that you're not alone, okay? Things aren't alright, but... At least we have each other, right?" Daryl nodded his head as he looked into Carl's eyes, his blues just like the ones of his father. There was a short moment of silence shared between the two before Daryl cocked his head to the side as he asked, "Are _ya_ okay?" Carl nodded his head slowly as he looked down at his shoes. He nodded more firmly before he met Daryl's Georgia Blues, "Gotta be." Daryl scoffed as he reached his hand and put it on the back of Carl's neck and gave a slight squeeze. The boy chuckled as he squirmed away. Daryl had missed that kid.

They continued to walk down the railroad tracks, Daryl and Carl immediately fell into their usual sibling-like ways as they started telling each other stories and teasing each other. Daryl promised Carl to let him shoot an arrow or two if things in Terminus went well. That led to the boy telling him a story of when Evan started teaching Carl how to hunt and the boy, at first, wasn't even able to pull the weights and second, almost fell to his ass from the kickback. Daryl snorted as he shook his head, "How is it even possible? Crossbows' barely have any kickback, at all!" Carl poked Daryl's ribs as he scoffed while the man simply continued to chuckle.

Rick and Michonne, who were still a few feet ahead of them stopped walking. Rick stepped off the tracks and kicked away some dirt from the sign that was on the ground. Daryl's eyes scanned over the map as he nodded, "We're gettin' close. Should be there 'fore sundown." Rick nodded his head as he glanced at the hunter, "From now on, we're going through the woods. We don't know these people." Daryl nodded his head thoughtfully, it made sense. With that, Rick headed through the woods, the others following close behind. 

Rick and Daryl made a silent agreement to have Daryl lead them through the woods as no other person knew the woods better than him, aside from his siblings. It didn't take them too long to reach the fences. Rick dropped the duffel bag he was carrying before he ran ahead to take a closer look, Daryl right behind him him. They peered through the fences and sure enough, Terminus stood right in front of them. It was weird, the place was quiet and not a single person could be seen walking around. For a place that gave sanctuary to pretty much everyone, it was empty like a graveyard in the middle of a summer night. Rick turned to face the others as he nodded, "We'll spread out, watch for a wall, see what we see... And be ready. Stay close." Daryl nodded and took off first.

When Daryl came back, Rick was on his knees, burying one of their duffel bags. He looked up at the hunter and shrugged, "Just in case." Daryl sighed before he nodded. They needed to have a second option just in case. Just then, Michonne and Carl came back. Once they were all ready, Rick was the first one to jump over the fence, Michonne next. Daryl helped Carl up and over the fence before he hauled himself up and joined the others. They looked around, the yard seemed to be clear. Daryl ran ahead, Rick just a few steps behind him, heading towards the building. The hunter paused for a second when Rick ran in front of him and grabbed the door. Once the two exchanged a look, Rick opened the door and threw it open, Daryl ran inside with his crossbow raised and ready to shoot, one of the guns they had was in Rick's hands as well. The four quickly made their way inside, following the voice, "Terminus... Sanctuary for all, community for all... Those who arrive, survive..." Daryl stepped into the room first to have a look around. He slowly lowered his crossbow as he stepped to the side, allowing the others to walk inside. Rick walked in front of everyone as he cut off the woman who was leaving the message, "Hello." 

The others stood next to him as he spoke up again, getting everyone's attention. One of the guys sighed, "Well, I guess Albert is on watch..." He dropped whatever type of documents he was holding before he took a few steps forward, addressing the newcomers, "You here to rob us?" Rick shook his head as he holstered his gun and stepped forward, "No. We just wanted to see you before you saw us." The guy shrugged as he looked at his co-survivalists, "Well, makes sense. We usually do this where the tracks meet," Daryl, Michonne and Carl stepped forward to stand beside Rick while the man raised his arms, "Welcome to Terminus!" He let his arms fall to his sides as he introduced himself, "I'm Gareth... Looks like you've been out for quite a bit." Rick nodded his head, his eyebrows raised cockily, "We have." He mentioned with his head to the people next to him, "I'm Rick, that's Carl, Daryl, Michonne." Gareth waved childishly. Daryl frowned. Gareth scoffed as he threw his hands in the air for a second, "Oh, you're nervous, we get it!" He stopped in front of Rick as he smiled warmly, "We came here for sanctuary... That what you're coming for?" Rick gave a simple nod as an answer. Gareth nodded back, "Alright. Alex!"

One of the boys behind the desk smiled as he joined Gareth who elaborated, "I know this ain't as beautiful as the front, Alex is gonna take ya there soon... First I need you to give all your weapons. All of them. Just lay them out nice and then Alex is gonna take you there." Everyone looked at Rick. He chuckled before he looked at his people and nodded. Daryl sighed before he put his crossbow on the floor. He took his knife off his belt and tossed it down as well. Once he was done, he raised his arms in the air and glared at the wall in front of him as the guy named Alex started to pat him down. Alex smirked as he studied Daryl's face, "Would hate to see the other guy." Daryl glanced at Rick who spoke up, his eyes hard and tone harsh, "You would." Daryl flattened his lips slightly and Rick's eyes seemed to soften to a degree. Once they were done, Gareth stood in front of everyone yet again as he spoke up, "Now, I'm going to tell you, we ain't bad people, but we ain't stupid... And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone understands that, we shouldn't have any problems." Rick was so done with that guy's bullshit, Daryl could see that even from where he was standing. Gareth nodded his head as he walked back to the desk. Alex stepped in front of Michonne and picked up her katana before he handed the sword to its righteous owner. Before Alex could, Daryl crouched down and started gathering his weapons which earned him a raised eyebrow from the younger man. Once they had their weapons back, they followed that Alex boy out of the hall and down the corridor.

They followed the man outside. Rick and Daryl exchanged a subtle glance before Daryl spoke up, "How long's it been since y'all had this place?" Alex shrugged as he barely threw a look at Daryl over his shoulder, "Since the start. People came here out of instinct, y'know. It only made sense, follow a path. No matter where they were headed, they always ended up here." Daryl nodded as he looked around, tightening his grip on the crossbow. If it was around since the beginning, then there sure as hell would've been more people, the place would have been packed. 

They reached some sort of lounge area outside. There was a ginger woman with a huge smile on her face behind a grill, people scattered all of the place sitting on benches or tables, communicating and socializing. Daryl's frown only seemed to deepen, he couldn't help but feel like it was all a stupid facade. The ginger spoke up as she flipped a piece of meat on the grill before she looked at Daryl's group, "Hello. Welcome to Terminus. You went in through the back door. Smart. Y'all are gonna fit right in." Alex walked up to her, "Hey Mary, would you please make each of these nice folks a plate, please? Must be hungry." The woman quickly got onto the task. Daryl looked around and his breath hitched in his throat. He saw his poncho, Glenn's body gear, his people's possessions. Alex handed Carl and Michonne plates first, but just as he reached for another plate, Rick attacked him. Daryl was quick to raise his crossbow, making sure that the tip of the bolt was pointing right at the tip of the bastard's nose. Rick held Alex in a chokehold as his hand reached down and pulled something out of his pocket. Glenn's watch. Daryl grit his teeth as he put a finger on the trigger while Rick held his gun to Alex's temple, "Where'd you get this watch?!"

Hell went loose.

Bullets started to rain down on Daryl and his people. No matter where they went, no matter how fast they were, bullets rained down on them. Several times Daryl barely got away from the gunfire and each time, Rick and Carl were sure to raise their guns and fire back. Daryl and Michonne, sadly, couldn't do much with a crossbow and a katana. They came across a memorial room. Daryl's breathing was labored as he turned to face the others, "What the hell is this place?" Michonne took deep breaths as she frowned at the two men, "Weird thing is, I don't think they're trying to kill us." Before any more words could be exchanged, they heard loud, booming voices headed towards the memorial room. They were quick to make a run for it, Daryl leading the way. They made their way back outside, they were going to make a run for the fences and get the hell out of there.

Unfortunately, things didn't go the way they wanted them to.

Pretty much everyone that was armed in Terminus was there, waiting for them. Snipers were on the other side of the fence, aiming right at them. There was a sniper on the roof as well, people with guns were surrounding them. They were trapped.

Gareth was standing on a lower part of the roof as he ordered, "Drop your weapons! Now!" RIck's group hesitated, which made Gareth repeat himself. Daryl huffed as he let his crossbow drop to the ground, his knife following. The rest of his group put down their weapons. Gareth spoke up, "Ringleader, go to your left!" Rick glared at the man. Gareth shrugged, "Go on, to the train cart. You don't do as told, the kid dies. If you obey, he's going there with you." Rick slowly started walking, "That's right, stand in front of the door." As Rick started nearing the cart, Gareth spoke up, "Now the archer." Daryl felt his blood boil. If looks could kill, Gareth would have been dead ten times over. He obeyed, he knew better than to put Carl at an even bigger risk. "Now the Samurai." Michonne slowly started making her way over. "Good, now in front of the door, Leader, Archer, Samurai, in that exact order." Daryl's eyes flickered back and forth between Carl and Gareth. Rick, as if he was reading his mind, shouted, "My son!" Gareth sighed before he shrugged, "Go on now, kid."

"Ringleader, open the door and get in!" "I will go in there with him-" "Don't make us kill him now!" Carl's fear filled eyes made contact with Daryl's. Daryl subtly nodded his head, hoping to give the boy some sort of comfort. Rick went up the stairs, opened the door and walked inside. Daryl gave a firmer nod to Carl as he followed, shooting the boy one last glance before he made his way inside, Michonne following. Dixon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Carl finally joined them, the boy shaking with fear. Rick quickly put his hand on his boy's neck protectively as he checked up on him. The door slid closed behind them. Rick ushered Carl as he gave him a slight push in Daryl's direction, who was in the corner, hiding in the shadows. Carl quickly joined his uncle figure. Rick and Michonne exchanged a glance before they slowly made their way to where Daryl and Carl were standing, Daryl didn't even notice when he had wrapped his arm around Carl's shoulders protectively, holding him to his side. 

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the other side of the cart. Daryl quickly pushed Carl behind him as he stepped forward, his eyes flickering from Rick to whoever hid in the shadows. All of a sudden, the man took a step forward and Daryl's eyes widened when he saw Glenn, "Rick?" Maggie was the next one to step forward. Daryl suddenly realized that a huge part of their group was there, along with three new faces. His face fell when he didn't see Evan nor Merle. Rick breathed out a sigh of relief as he nodded his head slowly, "You're here... You're here." Rick tensed when he noticed the strangers. Maggie spoke up, "They're friends. They helped save us." Daryl nodded his head slowly, "Yeah... Now they're friends of ours." And for once, he did mean it. Whoever helped save his family, even if it was just a part of it, immediately became family of his. He wasn't happy when the huge, ginger guy raised his chin, "For however long that will be-" "No."

Rick stepped forward slightly, Daryl was sure he was looking well around the newcomers, most likely using his cop senses to see if they were worthy of their trust or not. He made his way to the door and peeked through the crack to look outside, "They're gonna feel really stupid when they find out." The tall guy from earlier cocked his head to the side with furrowed eyebrows, "Find out what?" Daryl already knew what Rick meant. He was looking at his brother, his leader, the man who was the reason they were alive for as long as they were. Rick nodded his head slowly before he looked at the people that stood in front of him, "They're fucking with the wrong people." 

And he was right. They had no idea who they were dealing with.


	49. Walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes downhill and Daryl doesn't know how much longer he can keep on going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at 8pm, " *sits behind the desk, turns on laptop* Alright, let's write a draft, gonna work on it tomorrow and publish it on the weekend!"   
> Also me at 1:30am, with bags under the eyes, messy bun and dirty glasses, "Holy motherfuk"   
> HELLO THERE! Finally, here's an update on this one. I'm gonna warn you, I took a very different writing approach (?) when it came to this chapter and it's weird as hell. Let's just say that it starts after season five, episode eight. Yeah, that's quite a time jump...  
> Now, let's go on with the chapter! I'm gonna go to bed now, I'm exhausted. See ya next time!

**season five**

_"You ain't ever gonna see Maggie again!"_

_He was right._

_"We ain't dead. We're gonna start over."_

_There was no way he could start over._

_"You're my brother."_

_He didn't deserve that title._

_"Judith! You're okay!"_

_She was going to die too._

_"You're one of us."_

_Bob died too. They all did. They were all going to die and he couldn't do anything about it._

_"You're gonna be the last man standing."_

" **Daryl**." 

Daryl snapped from his trance. He was walking alongside Rick. His brother looked just as bad as he did. Daryl could barely recognize the older man's face underneath the bush of facial hair. His own beard had started to turn into one of a goat. They all looked awful. They felt awful too.

Everything fell apart in such a short amount of time.

Carol saved them from Terminus. Eugene, the guy with the mullet, said he was a scientist and had the cure to whatever virus made the world go to Hell. Daryl felt genuinely bittersweet. If things went back to normal, they would never be the same. He would lose his family, he would be all alone, as he had no idea where Evan nor Merle were. If they were even _alive_. Plus, at least eighty percent of whatever population was left were killers, as that was the only way you could survive. You die or you kill. 

They came across Father Gabriel. A coward, but that coward had shelter. Daryl was wary of that guy. Rick didn't seem to trust him much either. Only reason they stayed at the church was because they both knew they had each other's back. All they needed was a whistle, a signal, and Father Gabriel would no longer be their concern. 

Carol tried to run off again, she almost succeeded too. After Daryl heard Rick's answer to Abraham's proposal, he hurried outside and tracked Carol down. She was preparing a car to drive away, filling the trunk with supplies. Daryl lost way too many people. There was no way he was going to lose her too. He convinced her to come back with him, but then 

_he saw the car with the cross. The same bastards who took Beth._

Without a second thought, both him and Carol hurried inside the car and followed their friend's kidnappers. Daryl hoped that Rick understood what the situation was. He knew Rick wouldn't see it the wrong way.

But then Daryl came back a day later with a limp to his gait and a new boy, no trace of either Carol or Beth. Rick was, confused to say the least. Daryl remembered the expression on his face, it was the same as when he saw Daryl with Joe and the claimers. Dary hoped he never got to see that expression again, he swore to never make Rick uneasy. The two men sat on the bench by the church and Daryl explained the entire situation to Rick. 

Apparently, a lot had happened while he was away. Gabriel had confessed his deepest sin. Bob was dead. Abraham and Rick got in a terrifying fight. Gareth had attacked his group, only to face a gruesome death. Rick's hands were still red with blood. Not only that, but Abraham and his people had left with Maggie, Glenn and Tara. 

Rick shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning his elbows on his knees, "Gonna be honest with you, I'm close to having a mental breakdown. I-I have to stay alert, I have to look out for my kids, for the group, you - I'm tired, Daryl." He nodded his head as he met the archer's eyes, "I'm tired." Daryl nodded as he gnawed on his bottom lip, "Evan always said that... When ya feel weak, like yer 'bout ta break down... It means ya've only wasted half yer strength." He nodded again, firmer than before as he put a hand on the older man's shoulder and squeezed, "Ya don' have ta do all the heavy liftin'. I ain't gunna run away again." 

Once they made sure the church was secure, they packed everything they would need and loaded it in the back of the truck Daryl drove back from Atlanta. Before Daryl could get in the driver's seat, Carl's voice stopped him. Turning around, Daryl was caught slightly off guard when the young boy wrapped him up in a hug, squishing little Judith between the two. The archer gently returned the hug as he laid a kiss on top of the squirming baby's head. They pulled back and Carl nodded, "Be safe." Daryl got in the driver's seat and nodded back, "Ya too."

Everything was going well according to plan. Well, for the most part. They got to know the enemy with Noah's help. They took two of Dawn's people hostage, but unfortunately that ended with a few accidents, such as a near death experiment for both Daryl and Sasha. The entire situation ended with only one hostage. They still had to make it work. And they were going to make it work. They almost did.

But then, it ended with Daryl carrying out Beth's body. 

Just two days after Beth's death, they had to bury Tyreese too. 

Ever since then, they _walked_.

First, they went from vehicle to vehicle. Then, the vehicles ran out of fuel, just like their power and will. Every step was heavier than the last one, their strength was leaving their body bit by bit. Hope and God had left a long, long time ago. 

Daryl looked over his shoulder at the ever growing herd behind them. He sighed as he looked forward, Rick spoke up, "We're not at our strongest... We'll get them when it's best. Ain't got place for mistakes." He sighed when the archer didn't respond, "It's been three weeks since Atlanta... I know you lost something back there, we all did. Talk to me, D-" He was interrupted by Judith's soft whine. Daryl looked down at the baby in his friend's arms, "She's hungry." Rick sighed as he readjusted his hold on his daughter, "She's okay. She's, she's going to be okay, she's gotta be." Daryl shook his head, "We need water. Food." Both men looked at the sky, some dark clouds were starting to appear. Daryl pulled the automatic rifle off his shoulder as he mentioned for Rick to take it, "'m gonna look, see if I can find anythin'." The older of the two nodded with a sigh, "Don't be too long, okay?" "I'm gonna go with you." Daryl didn't have the power to argue with Carol. He didn't have the power for anything. He just wanted to shut off or at least feel something. _Anything_.

For a while the two walked in, what was a first for them, awkward silence. Daryl's unfocused eyes stayed glued to the ground as he hoped to catch a trail. Finally, Carol spoke up, "Anything?" The archer shook his head as he took a few more steps, "Nah. 's too dry." "...Maybe we should head back-" "You go." Daryl just could feel it, he already knew where the conversation was going and Carol hadn't even said a word.

The older woman finally spoke up which made Daryl freeze in his tracks as he faced away from her, "I think she saved my life. She saved yours too, right?" Daryl sighed. Carol took a few steps closer until she stood directly in front of Daryl, "You've been through too much, Pookie." She pulled a knife from her belt before she handed it to Daryl, "It was Beth's." He looked down at the knife that was now in his hand. Carol's voice was soft, "I-I have no idea what happened to your Eve and Merle and I genuinely hope they're okay, but I see that they're not with you. First them, then Beth... It's all getting piled up... But Dar, we're not dead." Daryl sighed. "You're not dead. I know you, You've got to let yourself feel it. It's okay to hurt. It's okay to cry, to feel lost, angry even. It's okay." She gently brushed some strands of hair away from his forehead. She rested her hand on the back of his head before she got on the tip of her toes and planted a soft kiss to his forehead. 

Her words stung him like a wasp, because they were the truth. He continued to think that his sister and brother were alive, somewhere out there, but... What if they weren't? He had to face that possibility too, he had to stop running away from the ugly truth. He hadn't even grieved over losing them, then Bob, Beth, Tyreese... How much longer would he have to take before he broke down? 

Daryl's slow, painful gait turned into a full on sprint when he heard the groans and snarls. He pushed through the bushes, breathing heavily. The second he stepped his foot on the road, his eyes landed on the walker that had a hold on Rick's arm. Before the walker's teeth could even graze Rick's flesh, Daryl gripped the creature by what was left of its hair and pulled it off Rick. There was no way he was going to have to grieve over Rick's death as well. 

With the last of their strength, they were able to fight off the herd. Daryl put a hand on Rick's shoulder as he tried to even out his labored breathing, "Ya alright?" Rick nodded. Daryl nodded back in satisfaction. They were _alright_. 

Then, they started walking. 


	50. Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl grieves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really heavy chapter, gonna warn ya.  
> It was also one of the most calming chapters I've ever written. Like, writing it hurt, but in a good, healthy way.  
> I hope y'all enjoy it! Ain't gonna talk about the chapter much, I'll let it speak for itself.

**season five**

"Dad. Look." 

Daryl squinted his eyes as he tried to see through the droplets of sweat that had gathered on his eyelashes. A few cars were ahead, in the middle of the road. The archer nodded his head as he glanced at the Grimes', "'m gonna go through the woods, circle 'round ta check if 's safe or not." Rick nodded with slight uneasiness in his eyes, but Daryl knew it wasn't directly at him. They all hadn't eaten anything, they were thirsty, the Georgia sun didn't seem to have mercy. Daryl could simply collapse in the woods on his own and become prey for walkers. He was still quick to decline Carol's request to tag along, he didn't need a babysitter. He needed to be alone.

He stumbled upon a carcass of a roebuck. They all seemed to stumble upon carcasses of animals real often these days. That was such a pity. The one rule everyone with a brain followed was, you never touch a dead animal. No matter when the animal seemed to die, no matter if it didn't die from a walker, if it wasn't killed by your own gun, your own weapon, you stay clear of it. Daryl fell to his knees in defeat as he looked sadly at the roebuck. He just hoped to bring back food for his people. He just hoped the misery would end. He just hoped he could -

He shot Rick an apologetic glance as everyone flinched at the sound of Daryl's footsteps. He raised his chin slightly in his way of questioning. Rick shook his head as he leaned back against Carl, father and son sat back to back, the boy was holding his sister close. They all seemed defeated. They had the right to feel so too. Wordlessly, Daryl lowered himself next to Rick with a sigh, resting his crossbow on the ground beside him.

All of a sudden, Daryl's heart dropped to his stomach when he heard the growls. 

A pack of dogs bared their teeth at them. They were skin and bones and they seemed _hungry_. Judith started to whine and Carl's eyes were filled with fear as he tried to get his sister to stay quiet. Daryl shifted so he was in a crouching position, just like some of the others did and slowly reached for his knife, he didn't have enough arrows for the dogs. They growled and snarled, definitely gone mad from hunger. Hell, some humans did the same. Daryl wasn't surprised that the dogs were like that.

Before anyone could even move, Daryl nearly fell on his behind as Sasha stood off to his side and fired a rifle. One by one dogs fell to the ground with whimpers and whines, no longer having to deal with the cruelty of the world. Daryl's eyes immediately flew to Rick, switching from his brother figure to the dogs. He seemed to have made a habit of that. Whenever something happened, he looked up to Rick, ready for commands, orders, advice. The older man scowled as he got up to his feet with a grunt, he must have been sore. Daryl understood him, his own muscles were aching. Rick reached down to the side of the road and wordlessly started to collect branches. Daryl got the hint. He got up and started to help him.

Daryl had eaten anything with his siblings back when they were too poor to afford food, they were all hunters, more often than not they killed their food. Daryl had never eaten a dog until that moment. The meat wasn't that bad, but the idea that it was a dog of all things crushed him. They had reached rock bottom, that was for sure. But food was food. 

Then, they started walking again.

At that point, they were just like the walkers. Mindlessly, they went down a road, barely scraping their way-too-heavy shoes against the asphalt. Daryl happened to be more towards the back, walking alongside Abraham. He overheard Maggie and Glenn's conversation. His heart was starting to fall apart, a dull ache somewhere in his soul that made him tired. He knew Maggie didn't blame him. But he blamed himself. _"You ain't ever gonna see Maggie again!"_

Daryl glanced at Abraham who offered him the bottle of whiskey he was nursing after the hunter declined the water Glenn offered him. The archer, again, declined with a silent shake of his head. The ex-military shrugged before he threw his head back, seeming completely unphased by the burn of the amber whiskey. Daryl licked his chapped lips as he looked around his group. They were all so broken. He had to get away. He elbowed Abraham in the ribs slightly before he spoke up quietly, "Tell 'em I'm lookin' for water." The ginger gave him a slow nod of understanding. With that, Daryl walked away through some bushes, disappearing into the forest where, if he wanted to, nobody could find him.

Daryl came across a barn. He squinted his eyes suspiciously as he looked around. Nobody seemed to be anywhere near the wooden barn. He took a few cautious steps closer before he lowered himself against some trees. Reaching a hand into his pocket, he pulled a crumbled cigarette out of his pocket along with Evan's lighter. Daryl had filled it up at Gabriel's church. Her lighter was made from nice, stainless metal. It used to be Merle's, then he passed it down to her. She must have forgotten it in the vest. _Or she left it on purpose, knowing that it was a goodbye._

Daryl lit the cigarette between his lips before he put the lighter away. He took a deep drag from the nicotine stick, his heart and soul heavy. He pulled the vest closer around himself. If Evan hadn't given him the vest when she did, Daryl maybe wouldn't have stayed around for as long as he had. That vest was special. Evan was his guardian angel. By carrying her wings, it was as if she was still by his side. 

Five weeks had passed since he last saw Merle and Evan. Five agonizing weeks. Daryl had been away from Merle before, as his brother wasn't there for a huge part of his life. But Evan? She was by his side since he took his first breath. She was there when he woke up, when he went to bed. Daryl didn't even know if he was going to see either of them ever again. He had seen it. Moments after Merle pushed his way in the prison, the building collapsed. It crumbled down with both his sister and brother still inside. Daryl had told Merle to go inside and get their sister. He let them down.

And Beth? Poor, young Beth. The shirt he wore still had a blood stain over his chest from where her head had rested. She was so strong, so brave. Daryl, when he pulled the trigger, he would have killed every single one of the stupid pigs, would have fed himself a bullet as well if he had a spare. They were no cops, they weren't like Rick, they were cowards. They weren't like Beth. Beth? She went out in such a... Beth way.

Daryl's throat started to close with sobs. No matter what, he couldn't let them out. He wanted to, he _needed_ to.

_"I sure as hell never cut my wrist, lookin' for attention!"_

Daryl pulled the cigarette from his lips. He looked down at it. Then, he took a nice, long drag, making sure that the tip of the cig heated up before he pressed it down on the flesh between his thumb and index finger and held it there. He threw the cigarette away before he titled his head up to look at the sky, clouds slowly drifted about, carrying the promise of rain.

Daryl glanced down at the shoe laces wrapped firmly around his pant legs. 

_"I'll be gone someday - " "Stop." "I will... You will be the last man standing... You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon."_

The lighter suddenly felt way too heavy in his pocket.

_Daryl parked the chopper and didn't even kill the engine, he quickly jumped up from the seat and took a few quick strides, Evan met him halfway. The two embraced each other and Evan chuckled when Daryl lifted her up in his arms for a few seconds, she was holding onto him tightly and the fact that he was holding her with the same amount of strength, maybe even tighter, made her at home._

Merle's ice blue eyes burned the back of his mind as the first tears started to slip through. 

_"Love ya, brother. Need ya ta know that."_

He leaned his chin against his chest, his head was way too heavy to hold it up. The last time it was way too heavy, Beth let him cry on her shoulder. She held him tight and was there for him. But he wasn't there for her.

His sobs echoed through the woods. 


	51. We Are The Walking Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl brings his family to safety and finally comes to terms with himself, enough, so he can put the skeletons in the closet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got emotional writing this chapter, not gonna lie. It holds a dear place in my heart.   
> I hope y'all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**season five**

**  
**

It didn't take Daryl too long to track down his group. But when he found them, he wasn't happy with the helpless expressions on their faces.

  


Rick strode over to the younger man and handed him a note. Daryl's eyebrows furrowed when he read the words. Once they sunk deep into his mind, he was quick to pull his crossbow off his back and look around. 

  


Tara's eyes were wide with desperation as she asked in a soft voice, "What else are we gonna do?" "Not this." Daryl agreed with Rick. They didn't know who had left the bottles, if they were clear water or someone had put something in there. He ignored the word vomit that left Eugene's mouth and instead looked back down at the note. The letters were big and bold, he didn't recognize the writing, which was actually a somewhat stupid thought. There were other survivors, anyone could have left the note and he didn't know other people aside from his group. The writing didn't look like Evan's or Merle's, what a foolish thought that somewhat crushed his hope even further. 

  


He was pulled out of his thoughts when Abraham knocked the bottle out of Eugene's hand and Rick's firm voice followed, "Don't." The command was soon followed by a loud rumble. Thunder. Everyone looked towards the sky and Daryl felt a drop land right on the tip of his nose, a second one followed and fell right into his eye. He rubbed his eye with his knuckle as it started to rain. Soon enough it was pouring and some people laughed in delight, but Daryl could only stare blankly at the ground. His people started to pull bottles from their bags, anything they could collect water in. But then, thunder and lightning started to tear through the sky, the wind picked up and Judith cried out. They couldn't stay out in the open, couldn't move forward.

  


Daryl looked towards Rick as he raised his voice to be heard over the sound of the storm, "There's a barn!" 

  


It didn't take too long to reach the barn he found. Once they went through it, only having to deal with one walker that was in the pantry, Daryl built a fire. It was weak, barely any flames, but it lit the darkness and brought some much needed warmth. Daryl gnawed on his bottom lip as his eyes moved over to where Judith slept in Carl's arms. Even while sleeping, the hat was right beside Carl's head, must've fell off while he was sleeping. Daryl's eyes moved to Rick who looked over his son. Daryl's eyes finally settled onto the fire and he couldn't help but remember that one night in the winter when he ended up holding both Michonne and Evan close, tucked under his arms in front of an old fireplace, just so they could keep each other warm. 

  


Daryl tried to block off the conversation, but he couldn't help and listen when Rick told them about a conversation he had with his grandfather, "When I was a little kid, I asked my grandfather if he ever killed any Germans in the war... He didn't answer, said it was grown-up stuff... So, I asked him if the Germans ever tried to kill him, but he got real, real quiet..." Rick's icy blue eyes got distant, he seemed to go back to when he was just a little boy, most likely sitting in front of his grandfather's recliner and listening close to the old man's scary stories. He cleared his throat before he spoke up, "Said he was dead the second he stepped in the enemy's territory." He looked up, but didn't meet anyone's eyes as he reflected back on the past, "Everyday, he woke up and told himself, "Rest in peace, now get up and go to war."... And then after a few years of telling himself he's dead," His eyes went downcast to rest on his fiddling hands, "he made it out alive." Daryl's heart seemed to clench, just like his throat got tight. 

  


Rick looked up again with a determined nod, his eyes seemed more focused, "I think that's the trick." His eyes met the ones of the people around him as he continued, his voice firm, "We do what we need to do and then, we get to live. No matter what we find at DC, I know, we will be okay. Because this... This is how we survive." He nodded, his voice was powerfully solemn, "We tell ourselves that we, are _the walking dead_." Daryl's breath hitched in his throat. 

  


He made sure his eyes were firmly glued to the fire as he tried to keep his unshed tears in, he had cried enough, he had suffered enough, the pain was what reminded him he was _alive_. He shook his head at Rick's last words before his quiet, shaky voice stated firmly, "We ain't them." He looked up to meet Rick's eyes, by the look on his brother's face, he seemed to be suffering just as much, "We ain't them." Rick was speechless for the longest time and Daryl could feel eyes on him. He shifted so he was in a crouching position and started putting more firewood in the dying flames. He didn't meet Rick's eyes for a while, until Rick asked him to, "We're not them... Hey." Daryl met Rick's eyes and he saw the emotion in them. Rick's calloused, warm hand gripped his knee and gave a gentle squeeze as he nodded, "We're not them." Daryl got up to his full height, Rick's hand fell back down in the man's lap. Daryl shook his head as he looked at Rick's eyes one last time, "We ain't them." _We're still suffering, we're all torn apart, which means we're alive._ With a shake of his head, he grabbed his crossbow and walked away. 

  


Everyone was asleep, very few were still awake, but they just weren't _there_. Daryl paced back and forth, the growls only seemed to get louder and louder. Daryl paused as he looked through the crack in the barn's wooden doors. The herd was getting close. Way too close. Daryl didn't know how they could even sense they were in the barn. Maybe he wasn't right, the walkers were still partially alive. Maybe they were suffering too? Maybe the storm was too much for them too and they needed a place to hide? Daryl shook his head as he paced around anxiously, his family was more important than some walkers. He glanced back towards were most of his group slept, he would never allow anything to hurt them. 

  


He leaned his crossbow against the wall before he ran over to the doors. The chain seemed secure, but how much would it handle before it broke? Daryl turned his back to the doors and gripped the edges of the wood, huffing as he held the doors together tightly. He flexed his tired muscles, took deep breaths and then when the first push came, Daryl pushed back. That only seemed to anger the walkers. The monsters continued to push against the doors and Daryl moaned and panted in pain as he tried to hold them back on his own, pushing back with whatever strength he had left. _We can't do things without people anymore, man._

_  
_

Maggie slammed her entire weight against the door, allowing Daryl to change his position for a second. The both of them kept pushing back, fighting against the dead. Soon enough, Sasha joined them, standing on Daryl's other side. Daryl hands pushed against both doors, holding the doors together while Sasha and Maggie pushed back the furious creatures. Daryl almost flinched at the sudden hand that was on his back for a moment before it moved away and landed on the door, right next to his. He locked eyes with Rick and nodded firmly. Michonne, Glenn, Carl and Carol joined them. Abraham was right behind Daryl, his tall form towering above his hunched one, the people from his group, along with Noah, Tara and Father Gabriel pushed right along with them. They kept glancing at each other, silently asking if the other is okay and joined their forces, pushing aside whatever differences they had or whatever grudges they seemed to hold. Nothing else mattered, except for them to win over the death. As he pushed against the walkers, his family by his side, Daryl let his unshed tears fall without a care in the world as the only thing that mattered was for his family to be okay. He didn't save Evan or Merle, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

  


Finally, the growls disappeared to whimpers and the lighting stopped. One by one, they slowly moved away from the doors and started checking each other for any accidental scratches. Rick was the one to check Daryl after he had checked Carl, his son was sound asleep yet again. Rick pulled his hands away and fixed Daryl's shirt, moving it back in place along with the vest, "All good." Daryl nodded as he moved to step away, he had already checked Rick. He gnawed on his bottom lip as he looked over to where Carl slept peacefully with Judith in his arms, "Lil' Asskicker okay?" Rick chuckled at the nickname all Dixon's used for his daughter, "Yeah, she's okay. Wasn't too happy with having to lay on the ground for a while on her own, but it's nothing some cuddles can't fix." He cocked his head to the side as he met the other man's eyes, "You okay?" Daryl nodded, receiving a nod back in satisfaction, "Good. Try to... Try to get some sleep." Another nod. Rick gently squeezed the man's shoulder before he walked over to his kids and settled down by their side. 

  


Everyone fell asleep sooner or later. Daryl sat on the wall furthest from the door, watching over it with his crossbow in his lap. He glanced down at the music box that was close to his side, he had fixed it as an excuse to stay awake, it had some sand that wasn't supposed to be there inside, but that wasn't something he couldn't fix. He even tested it out and he was glad to hear the slightly off-pitch melody. 

  


Maggie didn't join him until the early hours of the morning, judging by the sun that was barely up, it had to be somewhere around six thirty, maybe seven. The brunette lowered herself next to him with a sigh, her movements were slow. Everyone seemed to move slowly and carefully around him, which he appreciated. Daryl was more, _open_ , around his group, it wasn't like the way it used to be in the beginning, he no longer punched or screamed when someone who wasn't Evan or Merle touched him. But they had pulled him out of his old ways, out of the anger and self-hatred, they showed him who he was, taught him and his siblings that they were so much more than what their father told them, and Daryl was forever grateful for them.

  


"You should get some sleep." Maggie's voice was gentle. Daryl nodded as he finally pulled his thumb away from his lips, "Yeah." "... It's okay to rest now." Their eyes met for a second and Daryl saw the meaning behind her words. He nodded slowly. They both looked over to where Sasha laid in a light slumber. Daryl remembered the pain he, himself, felt when they brought back Tyreese's body, "He was tough." Maggie nodded, "He was." "... So was she." A slight smile curled at the corners of his thin lips as he remembered how many times Beth shoved her middle finger in his face, how she held him as he wailed like a baby and how she drank moonshine like it was holy water, "She didn't know it, but she was." He was pleased to see the light smile on Maggie's face. They looked at each other and Maggie nodded, "So _are they_." Her smile didn't fall from her face, while Daryl's flattened slightly. He never found their bodies, he did know that Evan and Merle were tough motherfuckers, so maybe they were still alive. They had to be. "They are." 

  


He reached to his side and took the music box before he handed it to Maggie, "I fixed it. Had some grit in it. 's ike new." Maggie's smile widened as she took it from him, "Thank you." She looked deep into his eyes and nodded, "Thank you." Maggie's smile was contagious. Despite the pain, Daryl let a true smile curl on his lips, one that made his eyes shine. He gave a slight nod back. Maggie glanced at Sasha before she turned to him, "Get some sleep, alright?" She leaned over and gave his forehead a light kiss. With that she got to her feet and walked over to Sasha. The two women left the barn a minute later. 

  


Daryl looked around. He didn't know if they were the walking dead or not. What he did know was that he was ready to do anything for his family. 

  


He slowly laid the crossbow on the ground so it was in reach before he took off the angel vest. His calloused fingers caressed the dirty white wings before he rolled it up. He shifted so he was laying down then placed the vest under his head. With a sigh, his eyes looked around one last time before his eyelids slipped close. His dreams were filled with Evan and Merle, but for the first time in a while, his dreams were filled with hope. 

  


  



	52. Community

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie and Sasha introduce Aaron. He has good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hello!   
> Jeez, it's been some time, huh? Let me check, the last update of "The Cherokee Rose" was... Two months ago? Mother dick!   
> Well, I'm back! Some of y'all might know I started something new called "A Sky Full Of Stars", if you don't, check it out! I have to say, it's pretty much turned into my priority, so updates on "The Cherokee Rose" might be going slow. I still love this story and there are still thirty more chapters until we're done, so, it ain't over!   
> Okay, now I'm gonna leave y'all to read it. Sorry for any mistakes, I'm gonna give the entire thing an edit when it's all written!   
> But for now, enjoy this chapter!

The first thing Daryl saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of crystal blue eyes staring back at him. He raised an eyebrow as Rick finally pulled away, "What the hell, man?" The older man chuckled as he stood up to his full height, "I was checking to see if you're still breathing." Daryl snorted as he moved into a sitting position, pulling on his vest. Once he stood to his full height, he looked around, he must have gotten about an hour of sleep which was the most he had gotten in a while.

He was cleaning up his crossbow when Sasha and Maggie returned. The barn door opened and Daryl couldn't help but panic when he saw the stranger with them, "Uh, guys? This is Aaron." Daryl was quick to jump to his feet, a bolt was already ready to go if needed. Once he closed the barn doors, he patted Aaron down, not trying to be gentle. He shot Maggie a look. How could she put them in such danger? He was a stranger and in their times, people were the real threat. 

"Hi." 

Daryl understood why Judith started crying. Part of him wanted to cry too. It was so _awkward_. Carl took Judith from Rick, shared a confused look with Daryl, before he walked off to the side so he could calm down his sister. 

The "Aaron" guy took a step forward with an extended hand, "It's nice to meet you-" the tip of Daryl's bolt immediately touched Aaron's back. Rick shook his head. Daryl stepped back, his crossbow still raised and ready if the guy was a threat. He looked at Rick, " _Just give me a signal._ " 

Rick's voice was rough as he spoke, addressing Maggie, "Said he had a weapon?" Maggie nodded. She handed Rick a small handgun... Rick wasn't impressed. He pocketed it before he raised his eyebrows suggestively, "There's something you need?" "He has a camp, nearby." Daryl frowned as he flicked his eyes to Sasha. A camp? Terminus was a camp too, and it did not end well... "He wants us to audition for membership." 

"That's right." He had the _audacity_ to chuckle. "I wish there was another word, audition makes it sound like we're all some big dance troop or something... That's only on Friday." His joke fell flat. Aaron cleared his throat, "A-and it's not a camp, but a community. I think you would all make valuable additions... But it's not my call. It's all my job, to convince you all, to follow me back home." Home... He hadn't heard that word in a while. Couldn't believe that this guy thought of a camp like home. "I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew what I was getting myself into." He looked over his shoulder, "Sasha, could you please hand Rick my pack?" 

Sasha did as told... Even if she wasn't happy to do so. Rick crouched down so he could take a better look at the contents of the backpack, "There's no way I could convince you to come with me, just by talking. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance, the quality is not that good, but it's still something, right? We just found an-" Daryl had enough, "Nobody gives a shit." He felt slight satisfaction when he saw the hairs on the back of Aaron's neck stand from the roughness in his voice, "You're right, it doesn't matter, I apologize." He looked over his shoulder, "Daryl, right? Daryl Dixon?" 

"What's this?" 

Aaron looked back at Rick, "Oh, I wanted this to be the first picture I ever show you, because I wanted to show you how safe our community is. Each one of these panels is fifteen feet, propped up with solid steel. We have gates, and nothing goes in or out of these walls, without us knowing it." Rick and Michonne shared a look, before Rick looked at Daryl. He immediately saw the alarm in the younger one's eyes. 

He didn't care that Aaron was still talking. He walked up to him, slowly, before he threw his hand back and knocked him straight in the jaw. Aaron fell limp to the ground like an old apple from a tree. 

Michonne sighed, "What the hell was that? I gave you my "This could work!" face, not my, "Square him in the jaw!" face!" That's right, Daryl gave him a "Square him in the jaw!" face. Daryl felt pride when he realized Rick's opinion was the one that mattered to him. Hell, thinking about it, he was basically Rick's right hand. 

Abraham and Daryl tied Aaron up as Rick gave out orders, "Carl, look through his backpack, see what type of man he really is." He looked at the others, "They're coming for us, we need eyes and ears everywhere. He's been watching us for way too long, we are not safe." Glenn and Carol were keeping watch while Maggie pressed a wet cloth to Aaron's jaw. 

Carl ended up finding a flare gun. Rick and Daryl shared a worried look. That could only mean Aaron had company. 

Soon enough, the newcomer started to wake up. He looked around and chuckled with a slight shake of his head, "You're most certainly packing a punch, Rick." "Sit him up." Daryl grabbed Aaron by the ropes he was tied with and pulled him, roughly, into a sitting position. 

"You're being a cautious, that's understandable." "How many of your people are out there?" "... Well, does it matter? I could tell you ten, one hundred, ten thousand... Maybe I have an entire troop, no matter what I say, you're not going to trust me." "It's hard to trust a guy who smiles after being punched in the face." "I smiled, because I already knew what would happen... They were right - " " _Who_ was right?" "Does it matter? I was told you were all cautious, careful, I knew you were smart. You don't trust easy. But then, would you trust a friend who leaves water for you?" 

Daryl couldn't be silent any longer, "How long have y'all been following us?" Aaron shrugged, "Doesn't matter how long... If you want specific timing, well, long enough to know you practically ignore a herd of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that even with the lack of food, lack of water, you never turn on each other. You're survivors and, you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."

"... How many people are out there?" "One." He sighed as he shook his head, "If it's not words, if it's not pictures... What would it take to convince you this is for real? Do I have to tell you that, without even knowing it, you are already, a part of our community? Do I have to tell you I know about the farm, little Sophia, that asshole Shane, the prison, the Governor? I know _everything_. " With every word, Daryl couldn't help the feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach. How could Aaron know about all these things unless... 

Daryl realized he had his knife out when Rick had to wrap his arms around his shoulders to hold him back, "Get ya hands off me!" Aaron tried to crawl back with his legs, "Shit, I hit a nerve, I'm sorry man! I'm sorry!"

Abraham backed Daryl away from Aaron so Rick could step closer. Daryl continued to thrash and fight. Rick crouched down and took a fistful of the front of Aaron's shirt, "I want you to tell me, loud and clear, and _honest_... No jokes, no puns, I want the truth now." 

Aaron nodded, "These walls you saw? We didn't put them up on our own. Merle Dixon, "He nodded at Daryl's direction, "his brother helped put them up. And Evangeline? She does not only recruit people, she hunts for us, goes to the other side of the state for us, just to get supplies and look for people." Rick cocked his head to the side, "Why isn't she the one to recruit us then? Why you?" 

Aaron smiled, "That would ruin the surprise." His smile flattened, his tone serious, "I know you would be good auditions to our community, because that was the case with Merle and Evan. They went through the audition, passed the test and proved themselves." He chuckled dryly, "Merle was an issue sometimes. Had to throw him in the cell once. At one point we considered tying them both up so they didn't go after you. Evan was really sick when we found them, she needed time to heal. Merle never left her side, so that helped keep them inside the walls. After she got better, we immediately sent her off for supplies. My partner and I were sent to recruit you. Think it would be a nice surprise to have you guys greet her when she comes back." 

"Daryl?" 

Daryl backed away from Abraham. He walked over to where Carl stood, holding the pictures in his hands. He handed one to Daryl. The older man felt his breath hitch when he saw, clear as day, his brother's old Triumph they unfortunately had to leave behind when the Governor attacked. 

Merle and Evan were alive. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first story I've ever published here, I wanna apologize in advance, I'm still getting used to the platform.  
> Hello! I'm Nick, most people know me on Wattpad under the nickname nickhawkinbatcountry. I have been writing for three years, however, I am sure everyone feels like a newbie when they publish something on an entirely new platform.  
> This is my first ever The Walking Dead story and I am more than excited to become a possible member of the TWD family.  
> I wish y'all a good day/night or whatever it is for you!


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